title: Inhibitory avoidance learning alters the amygdala calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity in rats.
abstract: This study investigated the role of amygdala CaM-kinase II (calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) in affective learning and memory. In Experiment I, two groups of rats were trained on a one-trial step through inhibitory avoidance learning task. The experimental group received a high intensity foot shock contingent upon the stepping-through behavior, whereas the control group received a series of non-contingent low intensity foot shock during training. The experimental rats showed significantly higher retention scores than the control rats. Correspondingly, rats in the experimental group showed significantly higher Ca2+-independent activity of CaM-kinase II than the controls. Intra-amygdala injection of a specific CaM-kinase II inhibitor, KN-62, before the training trial disrupted affective learning. In comparison with the vehicle-injected controls, pretraining injection of KN-62 impaired the acquisition of affective specific learning. These results, taken together, indicated that the activation of amygdala CaM-kinase II in the amygdala is associated with the affective learning behavior, and may be one of the neural mechanisms underlying formation of affective memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D000679:Amygdala / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D004597:Electroshock; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; C063302:KN 62; D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases