Fendt, M;Schmid, S;Thakker, DR;Jacobson, LH;Yamamoto, R;Mitsukawa, K;Maier, R;Natt, F;Husken, D;Kelly, PH;McAllister, KH;Hoyer, D;van der Putten, H;Cryan, JF;Flor, PJ

2008

October

Molecular Psychiatry

mGluR7 facilitates extinction of aversive memories and controls amygdala plasticity

Validated

WOS: 100 ()

METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE-RECEPTOR CONDITIONED TASTE-AVERSION FEAR-POTENTIATED STARTLE LONG-TERM POTENTIATION ADULT-MOUSE BRAIN INSULAR CORTEX D-CYCLOSERINE PREFRONTAL CORTEX MOLECULAR-CLONING RNA INTERFERENCE

13

970

979

Formation and extinction of aversive memories in the mammalian brain are insufficiently understood at the cellular and molecular levels. Using the novel metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGluR7) agonist AMN082, we demonstrate that mGluR7 activation facilitates the extinction of aversive memories in two different amygdala-dependent tasks. Conversely, mGluR7 knockdown using short interfering RNA attenuated the extinction of learned aversion. mGluR7 activation also blocked the acquisition of Pavlovian fear learning and its electrophysiological correlate long-term potentiation in the amygdala. The finding that mGluR7 critically regulates extinction, in addition to acquisition of aversive memories, demonstrates.

LONDON

1359-4184

10.1038/sj.mp.4002073