The expression of c-Fos and colocalisation of c-Fos and glucocorticoid receptors in brain structures of low and high anxiety rats subjected to extinction trials and re-learning of a conditioned fear response.
We designed an animal model to examine the mechanisms of differences in individual responses to aversive stimuli. We used the rat freezing response in the context fear test as a discriminating variable: low responders (LR) were defined as rats with a duration of freezing response one standard error or more below the mean value, and high responders (HR) were defined as rats with a duration of freezing response one standard error or more above the mean value. We sought to determine the colocalisation of c-Fos and glucocorticoid receptors-immunoreactivity (GR-ir) in HR and LR rats subjected to conditioned fear training, two extinction sessions and re-learning of a conditioned fear. We found that HR animals showed a marked decrease in conditioned fear in the course of two extinction sessions (16 days) in comparison with the control and LR groups. The LR group exhibited higher activity in the cortical M2 and prelimbic areas (c-Fos) and had an increased number of cells co-expressing c-Fos and GR-ir in the M2 and medial orbital cortex after re-learning a contextual fear. HR rats showed increased expression of c-Fos, GR-ir and c-Fos/GR-ir colocalised neurons in the basolateral amygdala and enhanced c-Fos and GR-ir in the dentate gyrus (DG) in comparison with LR animals. Our data indicate that recovery of a context-related behaviour upon re-learning of contextual fear is accompanied in HR animals by a selective increase in c-Fos expression and GRs-ir in the DG area of the hippocampus.
Lehner
Małgorzata
M
Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland. mlehner@ipin.edu.pl
Wisłowska-Stanek
Aleksandra
A
Taracha
Ewa
E
Maciejak
Piotr
P
Szyndler
Janusz
J
Skórzewska
Anna
A
Turzyńska
Danuta
D
Sobolewska
Alicja
A
Hamed
Adam
A
Bidziński
Andrzej
A
Płaźnik
Adam
A
D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000378:metabolism*; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology; D046352:Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism*; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid