Basal forebrain cholinergic signaling in the basolateral amygdala promotes strength and durability of fear memories.

ABSTRACT: The basolateral amygdala (BLA) complex receives dense cholinergic projections from the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) and the horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca (HDB). The present experiments examined whether these projections regulate the formation, extinction, and renewal of fear memories. This was achieved by employing a Pavlovian fear conditioning protocol and optogenetics in transgenic rats. Silencing NBM projections during fear conditioning weakened the fear memory produced by that conditioning and abolished its renewal after extinction. By contrast, silencing HDB projections during fear conditioning had no effect. Silencing NBM or HDB projections during extinction enhanced the loss of fear produced by extinction, but only HDB silencing prevented renewal. Next, we found

SUBMITTER: Crimmins BE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9938249 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature