Prior fear learning enables the rapid assimilation of new fear memories directly into cortical networks.

ABSTRACT: Long-term memory formation involves the reorganization of brain circuits, termed system consolidation. Whether and how a prior fear experience influences system consolidation of new memories is poorly understood. In rats, we found that prior auditory fear learning allows the secondary auditory cortex to immediately encode new auditory memories, with these new memories purely requiring the activation of cellular mechanisms of synaptic consolidation within secondary auditory cortex. Similar results were obtained in the anterior cingulate cortex for contextual fear memories. Moreover, prior learning enabled connections from these cortices to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) to support recent memory retention. We propose that the reorganization of circuits that characterizes system consolidation

SUBMITTER: Concina G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9555644 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature