The effects of overexpressing CREB in the lateral amygdala on the consolidation of auditory fear extinction memory.
Published: 2006
Language: eng
Number of pages: 115
ISBN-13: 9780494213834
Description: Fear extinction refers to the ability of organisms to adapt as circumstances change by learning to inhibit a previously learned fear. This process is characterized by a progressive reduction in the capacity of the CS to elicit fear following repeated presentations of the CS in the absence of an aversive US. Although the process by which fear memories are acquired and consolidated has been extensively studied, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying fear extinction. One important advance made towards understanding fear extinction derives from studies showing that extinction represents a form of new learning that actively inhibits, rather than erases, the original CS-US association. As such, it is thought that fear extinction usurps similar mechanisms as fear acquisition. Here, we show that mice receiving CREB infusions in the LA exhibit less conditioned fear than GFP controls during an extinction test given 24 hours following training for extinction. In contrast, both groups of mice displayed a similar reduction in conditioned fear in a training session. Collectively, these results support the notion that overexpressing CREB in the LA facilitates the consolidation of extinction learning.
Notes: Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-03, page: 1397.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Toronto, 2006.

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