Postsynaptic receptor trafficking underlying a form of associative learning.
To elucidate molecular, cellular, and circuit changes that occur in the brain during learning, we investigated the role of a glutamate receptor subtype in fear conditioning. In this form of learning, animals associate two stimuli, such as a tone and a shock. Here we report that fear conditioning drives AMPA-type glutamate receptors into the synapse of a large fraction of postsynaptic neurons in the lateral amygdala, a brain structure essential for this learning process. Furthermore, memory was reduced if AMPA receptor synaptic incorporation was blocked in as few as 10 to 20% of lateral amygdala neurons. Thus, the encoding of memories in the lateral amygdala is mediated by AMPA receptor trafficking, is widely distributed, and displays little redundancy.
Rumpel
Simon
S
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
LeDoux
Joseph
J
Zador
Anthony
A
Malinow
Roberto
R
D000679:Amygdala / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D021381:Protein Transport; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission; D013788:Thalamus / Q000502:physiology
D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins