Chronic inhibition of GABA synthesis in the infralimbic cortex facilitates conditioned safety memory and reduces contextual fear.

ABSTRACT: Accurate discrimination between danger and safety cues is essential for survival. Recent findings in humans indicate that patients suffering from anxiety disorders cannot reliably use safety cues in order to inhibit fear responses. However, the neuroanatomical pathways of conditioned safety are still unclear. Aim of the present study was to investigate whether chronic inhibition of GABA synthesis in the infralimbic (IL) cortex, a critical region for fear inhibition, would lead to enhanced conditioned safety memory. Male Sprague Dawley rats were equipped with osmotic mini-pumps attached to an infusion cannula aimed at the IL. Mini-pumps were either filled with the glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) inhibitor L-allylglycine (L-AG) or the inactive enantiomer D-allylglycine (D-AG). Previous studies

SUBMITTER: Kreutzmann JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7182568 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature