On the transition from reconsolidation to extinction of contextual fear memories
Open Access
- 16 August 2017
- journal article
- Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Learning & Memory
- Vol. 24 (9), 392-399
- https://doi.org/10.1101/lm.045724.117
Abstract
Retrieval of an associative memory can lead to different phenomena. Brief reexposure sessions tend to trigger reconsolidation, whereas more extended ones trigger extinction. In appetitive and fear cued Pavlovian memories, an intermediate “null point” period has been observed where neither process seems to be engaged. Here we investigated whether this phenomenon extends to contextual fear memory. Adult rats were subjected to a contextual fear conditioning paradigm, reexposed to the context 2 d later for 3, 5, 10, 20, or 30 min, with immediate injections of MK-801 or saline following reexposure, and tested on the following day. We observed a significant effect of MK-801 with the 3- and 30-min sessions, impairing reconsolidation and extinction, respectively. However, it did not have significant effects with 5-, 10-, or 20-min sessions, even though freezing decreased from reexposure to test. Further analyses indicated that this is not likely to be due to a variable transition point at the population level. In conclusion, the results show that in contextual fear memories there is a genuine “null point” between the parameters that induce reconsolidation and extinction, as defined by the effects of MK-801, although NMDA receptor-independent decreases in freezing can still occur in these conditions.Keywords
This publication has 37 references indexed in Scilit:
- Prediction error and trace dominance determine the fate of fear memories after post-training manipulationsLearning & Memory, 2015
- Dopamine D1-like receptor signalling in the hippocampus and amygdala modulates the acquisition of contextual fear conditioningPsychopharmacology, 2015
- Age-dependent effect of high cholesterol diets on anxiety-like behavior in elevated plus maze test in ratsBehavioral and Brain Functions, 2014
- Memory labilization in reconsolidation and extinction – Evidence for a common plasticity system?Journal of Physiology-Paris, 2014
- Ventral Tegmental Dopamine Dysregulation Prevents Appetitive Memory DestabilizationJournal of Neuroscience, 2013
- Detection of a Temporal Error Triggers Reconsolidation of Amygdala-Dependent MemoriesCurrent Biology, 2013
- Fear relief—toward a new conceptual frame work and what endocannabinoids gotta do with itNeuroscience, 2012
- Reconsolidation or Extinction: Transcription Factor Switch in the Determination of Memory Course after RetrievalJournal of Neuroscience, 2011
- The NMDA antagonist MK-801 disrupts reconsolidation of a cocaine-associated memory for conditioned place preference but not for self-administration in ratsLearning & Memory, 2008
- Disruptive Effect of Midazolam on Fear Memory Reconsolidation: Decisive Influence of Reactivation Time Span and Memory AgeNeuropsychopharmacology, 2008