Deep brain stimulation, histone deacetylase inhibitors and glutamatergic drugs rescue resistance to fear extinction in a genetic mouse model

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Abstract

Anxiety disorders are characterized by persistent, excessive fear. Therapeutic interventions that reverse deficits in fear extinction represent a tractable approach to treating these disorders. We previously reported that 129S1/SvImJ (S1) mice show no extinction learning following normal fear conditioning. We now demonstrate that weak fear conditioning does permit fear reduction during massed extinction training in S1 mice, but reveals specific deficiency in extinction memory consolidation/retrieval. Rescue of this impaired extinction consolidation/retrieval was achieved with d-cycloserine (N-methly- d-aspartate partial agonist) or MS-275 (histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor), applied after extinction training. We next examined the ability of different drugs and non-pharmacological manipulations to rescue the extreme fear extinction deficit in S1 following normal fear conditioning with the ultimate aim to produce low fear levels in extinction retrieval tests. Results showed that deep brain stimulation (DBS) by applying high frequency stimulation to the nucleus accumbens (ventral striatum) during extinction training, indeed significantly reduced fear during extinction retrieval compared to sham stimulation controls. Rescue of both impaired extinction acquisition and deficient extinction consolidation/retrieval was achieved with prior extinction training administration of valproic acid (a GABAergic enhancer and HDAC inhibitor) or AMN082 [metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu7) agonist], while MS-275 or PEPA (AMPA receptor potentiator) failed to affect extinction acquisition in S1 mice. Collectively, these data identify potential beneficial effects of DBS and various drug treatments, including those with HDAC inhibiting or mGlu7 agonism properties, as adjuncts to overcome treatment resistance in exposure-based therapies.

This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ‘Cognitive Enhancers’.

Highlights

► Nucleus accumbens stimulation during training rescues deficient extinction in S1. ► mGluR7 agonism or duel HDAC inhibition/GABA enhancement rescues S1 extinction. ► Weak fear conditioning permit extinction learning, not retrieval, in S1 mice. ► HDAC inhibitor, MS-275, rescues S1 extinction after weak, not strong, conditioning. ► d-cycloserine, NMDAR partial agonist, rescues S1 extinction after weak conditioning.

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Memory--a century of consolidation.

J McGaugh (2000)

The memory consolidation hypothesis proposed 100 years ago by Müller and Pilzecker continues to guide memory research. The hypothesis that new memories consolidate slowly over time has stimulated studies revealing the hormonal and neural influences regulating memory consolidation, as well as molecular and cellular mechanisms. This review examines the progress made over the century in understanding the time-dependent processes that create our lasting memories.

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Neural mechanisms of extinction learning and retrieval.

Gregory J. Quirk, Devin Mueller (2008)

Emotional learning is necessary for individuals to survive and prosper. Once acquired, however, emotional associations are not always expressed. Indeed, the regulation of emotional expression under varying environmental conditions is essential for mental health. The simplest form of emotional regulation is extinction, in which conditioned responding to a stimulus decreases when the reinforcer is omitted. Two decades of research on the neural mechanisms of fear conditioning have laid the groundwork for understanding extinction. In this review, we summarize recent work on the neural mechanisms of extinction learning. Like other forms of learning, extinction occurs in three phases: acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval, each of which depends on specific structures (amygdala, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus) and molecular mechanisms (receptors and signaling pathways). Pharmacological methods to facilitate consolidation and retrieval of extinction, for both aversive and appetitive conditioning, are setting the stage for novel treatments for anxiety disorders and addictions.

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Neurobiological basis of failure to recall extinction memory in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Mohammed Milad, Roger K. Pitman, Cameron B. Ellis … (2009)

A clinical characteristic of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is persistently elevated fear responses to stimuli associated with the traumatic event. The objective herein is to determine whether extinction of fear responses is impaired in PTSD and whether such impairment is related to dysfunctional activation of brain regions known to be involved in fear extinction, viz., amygdala, hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). Sixteen individuals diagnosed with PTSD and 15 trauma-exposed non-PTSD control subjects underwent a 2-day fear conditioning and extinction protocol in a 3-T functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Conditioning and extinction training were conducted on day 1. Extinction recall (or extinction memory) test was conducted on day 2 (extinguished conditioned stimuli presented in the absence of shock). Skin conductance response (SCR) was scored throughout the experiment as an index of the conditioned response. The SCR data revealed no significant differences between groups during acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear on day 1. On day 2, however, PTSD subjects showed impaired recall of extinction memory. Analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data showed greater amygdala activation in the PTSD group during day 1 extinction learning. During extinction recall, lesser activation in hippocampus and vmPFC and greater activation in dACC were observed in the PTSD group. The magnitude of extinction memory across all subjects was correlated with activation of hippocampus and vmPFC during extinction recall testing. These findings support the hypothesis that fear extinction is impaired in PTSD. They further suggest that dysfunctional activation in brain structures that mediate fear extinction learning, and especially its recall, underlie this impairment.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Neuropharmacology

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Neuropharmacology

Title: Neuropharmacology

Publisher: Pergamon Press

ISSN (Print): 0028-3908

ISSN (Electronic): 1873-7064

Publication date PMC-release: January 2013

Publication date (Print): January 2013

Volume: 64

Issue: 4

Pages: 414-423

Affiliations

[a ]Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80 – 82/III, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria

[b ]Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20852, USA Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD

[c ]Department of Pharmacology, Innsbruck Medical University, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria

[d ]Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA

Author notes

[∗ ]Corresponding author. Tel.: +43 (0)512 507 58807; fax: +43 (0)512 507 58899. nigel.whittle@ 123456uibk.ac.at

Article

Publisher ID: NP4689

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.06.001

PMC ID: 3474950

PubMed ID: 22722028

SO-VID: f1a9b0c8-2233-41ce-b5fc-67d6d6e3271c

License:

This document may be redistributed and reused, subject to certain conditions.

History

Date received : 30 March 2012

Date revision received : 31 May 2012

Date accepted : 6 June 2012

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