Pharmacological stimulation of infralimbic cortex after fear conditioning facilitates subsequent fear extinction.

ABSTRACT: The infralimbic (IL) division of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a crucial site for extinction of conditioned fear memories in rodents. Recent work suggests that neuronal plasticity in the IL that occurs during (or soon after) fear conditioning enables subsequent IL-dependent extinction learning. We therefore hypothesized that pharmacological activation of the IL after fear conditioning would promote the extinction of conditioned fear. To test this hypothesis, we characterized the effects of post-conditioning infusions of the GABA_A receptor antagonist, picrotoxin, into the IL on extinction of auditory conditioned freezing in male and female rats. In four experiments, we found that picrotoxin injections performed immediately, 24 hours, or 13 days after fear conditioning re

SUBMITTER: Bayer H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10996553 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature