title: Suppression of conditioning to ambiguous cues by pharmacogenetic inhibition of the dentate gyrus.
abstract: Serotonin receptor 1A knockout (Htr1a(KO)) mice show increased anxiety-related behavior in tests measuring innate avoidance. Here we demonstrate that Htr1a(KO) mice show enhanced fear conditioning to ambiguous conditioned stimuli, a hallmark of human anxiety. To examine the involvement of specific forebrain circuits in this phenotype, we developed a pharmacogenetic technique for the rapid tissue- and cell type-specific silencing of neural activity in vivo. Inhibition of neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala suppressed conditioned responses to both ambiguous and nonambiguous cues. In contrast, inhibition of hippocampal dentate gyrus granule cells selectively suppressed conditioned responses to ambiguous cues and reversed the knockout phenotype. These data demonstrate that Htr1a(KO) mice have a bias in the processing of threatening cues that is moderated by hippocampal mossy-fiber circuits, and suggest that the hippocampus is important in the response to ambiguous aversive stimuli.
authors.affiliation: European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Mouse Biology Unit, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy.
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsetsenis
authors.forename: Xiao-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lo Iacono
authors.forename: Sheryl G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Cornelius
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gross
mesh_terms: D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D001345:Autoradiography; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology; D003463:Cues; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000502:physiology; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004343:Drug Implants; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010641:Phenotype; D010879:Piperazines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D011725:Pyridines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D044282:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004343:Drug Implants; D010879:Piperazines; D011725:Pyridines; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; D044282:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A; C090413:N-(2-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl)ethyl)-N-(2-pyridinyl)cyclohexanecarboxamide; D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin