Plasticity in the amygdala and the architecture of fear memory: a potential role in temporal expectancy

old_uid13830
titlePlasticity in the amygdala and the architecture of fear memory: a potential role in temporal expectancy
start_date2014/04/11
schedule14h30
onlineno
location_infoauditorium
detailsSéminaire Axe IV - Cognition, émotion, action. Invité par Stéphanie Dubal
summaryPavlovian conditioning is the reference paradigm for the study of associative learning based on the relationship between two stimuli, the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US). The subject not only learns that the CS predicts the arrival of the US, but also the time when the US is expected to arrive. In Pavlovian fear conditioning in rats, a CS (e.g., a tone) is paired with an aversive US (e.g., a mild foot-shock). The CS then comes to elicit conditioned fear responses. The amygdala is well-known to play a critical role in emotional memory. Our data in rats show that synaptic plasticity in the amygdala is involved in the storage and updating of the CS-US association in a highly selective manner. Our data also indicate that the amygdala, in concert with the network it belongs to, may play a role in the temporal expectation of US arrival and the subject’s adaptive behaviour.
responsiblesAgid