Theta coupling within the medial prefrontal cortex regulates fear extinction and renewal.

ABSTRACT: Fear learning, and its extinction, are fundamental learning processes that allow for a response adaptation to aversive events and threats in the environment. Thus, it is critical to understand the neural mechanism that underpins fear learning and its relapse following extinction. The neural dynamics within the subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex, including the prelimbic cortex (PL) and the infralimbic (IL) cortex, and functional connectivity between them during fear extinction and its relapse, are not well understood. Using in-vivo electrophysiological recordings in awake behaving rats, we identified increased theta activity in the PL during fear learning and in the IL following extinction. Importantly, the PL-IL theta coupling is significantly enhanced throughout fear learni

SUBMITTER: Wang C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9485106 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature