title: Regulation of emotional memory by hydrogen sulfide: role of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptor in the amygdala.
abstract: As an endogenous gaseous molecule, hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) has attracted extensive attention because of its multiple biological effects. However, the effect of H2 S on amygdala-mediated emotional memory has not been elucidated. Here, by employing Pavlovian fear conditioning, an animal model widely used to explore the neural substrates of emotion, we determined whether H2 S could regulate emotional memory. It was shown that the H2 S levels in the amygdala of rats were significantly elevated after cued fear conditioning. Both intraamygdala and systemic administrations of H2 S markedly enhanced amygdala-dependent cued fear memory in rats. Moreover, it was found that H2 S selectively increased the surface expression and currents of NMDA-type glutamate receptor subunit 2B (GluN2B)-containing NMDA receptors (NMDARs) in lateral amygdala of rats, whereas blockade of GluN2B-containing NMDARs in lateral amygdala eliminated the effects of H2 S to enhance amygdalar long-term potentiation and cued fear memory. These results demonstrate that H2 S can regulate amygdala-dependent emotional memory by promoting the function of GluN2B-containing NMDARs in amygdala, suggesting that H2 S-associated signaling may hold potential as a new target for the treatment of emotional disorders. In our study, the effect of hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) on amygdala-mediated emotional memory was investigated. It was found that H2 S could enhance amygdala-dependent emotional memory and long-term potentiation (LTP) in rats by selectively increasing the function of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors in the amygdala. These results suggest that H2 S-associated signaling may be a new target for the treatment of emotional disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Can-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yuan-Jian
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jie-Ting
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xin-Lei
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Ming-Xing
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hai-Feng
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Peng-Fei
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jian-Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects; D003463:Cues; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: C121001:NR2B NMDA receptor; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide
keywords: GluN2B-containing NMDA receptor; amygdala; cued fear memory; emotional memory; hydrogen sulfide; long-term potentiation