The amygdala modulates hippocampus-dependent context memory formation and stores cue-shock associations.
Preexposing rats to the context facilitates subsequent contextual fear conditioning. This effect depends on the hippocampus (J. W. Rudy, R. M. Barrientos, & R. C. O'Reilly, 2002). The authors report that inactivating the basolateral region of the amygdala (BLA) by injecting muscimol, a GABAA agonist, before or after preexposure reduced this effect. In contrast, bilateral injections of anisomycin, a protein synthesis inhibitor, into BLA did not impair the consolidation of the context memory. However, when injected after fear conditioning, anisomycin impaired consolidation of both contextual and auditory-cue fear conditioning. Results are consistent with 2 ideas about the amygdala's contribution to memory: (a) It modulates memory formation in other regions of the brain, and (b) it is a storage site for cue-shock associations.
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
Nicole C
NC
Huff
Jerry W
JW
Rudy
D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000841:Anisomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003463:Cues; D004597:Electroshock / Q000379:methods; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007103:Immobilization / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D000841:Anisomycin