A central challenge for mental health research is to develop clinically effective methods to therapeutically attenuate maladaptive emotions. Some promising future treatments are aimed at attenuating emotional memories, targeting the phenomenon that when memories are reactivated, they appear to enter a transiently destabilized state which is believed to require re-stabilization via a process referred to as reconsolidation. Targeting the reconsolidation process has been proposed to be a potential treatment for many psychopathologies, including PTSD. For PTSD, blocking the reconsolidation of traumatic memories might attenuate these traumatic memories, in turn reducing PTSD pathology. However preclinical studies suggest that all emotional memories are not susceptible to treatments that block the reconsolidation process. For example induction of reconsolidation updating of strong reactivated aversive memories is impaired, consequently making these memories resistant to reconsolidation blockade. Since PTSD patients suffer from strong pathological memories, these preclinical data suggest that targeting the reconsolidation process in patients may have limited efficacy unless methods/strategies are developed to overcome this critical barrier. We hypothesize that inhibition of reconsolidation updating is caused by a change in the synaptic N-methyl D-aspartate receptor subunit NR2A/NR2B ratio. Additionally we hypothesize that altering the NR2A/B ratio can also have profound consequences on initial learning - a mechanism to explain in part age related cognitive decline. This project will examine how changing the NR2A/NR2B ratio within amygdala neurons effects learning and reconsolidation updating. We will accomplish this by increasing NMDA receptor subunits NR2A, NR2B or mutant NR2s via viral mediated gene delivery to amygdala neurons either before Pavlovian fear conditioning for the experiments studying learning or after fear conditioning for the experiments focusing on reconsolidation updating. We hypothesize that a high ratio of NR2A/NR2B will inhibit memory formation and a low ratio of NR2A/NR2B will promote memory formation. Additionally we hypothesize that overexpressing NR2B will promote the induction of reconsolidation updating and the overexpression of NR2A will inhibit reconsolidation updating. This project will answer a significant question of neurobiology - What is the function/consequence of the NR2A/B switch on learning &memory? Additionally this project will be the first of its kind to determine a biologically and possibly clinically relevant molecular explanation to why certain memories are susceptible to treatments that target the reconsolidation process while other memories are not.

Public Health Relevance

Dysregulation of the fear system is associated with many psychiatric disorders underscoring the need for developing better treatments for pathological fear. This project aims to identify the mechanisms that contribute to the maintenance of pathological fear and provide the basis of a strategy for attenuating maladaptive fear memories.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
1R21MH096202-01A1
Application #
8385018
Study Section
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Study Section (LAM)
Program Officer
Vicentic, Aleksandra
Project Start
2012-08-10
Project End
2014-05-31
Budget Start
2012-08-10
Budget End
2013-05-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$191,250
Indirect Cost
$66,250
Name
University of Texas-Dallas
Department
Neurosciences
Type
Other Domestic Higher Education
DUNS #
800188161
City
Richardson
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
75080
Holehonnur, Roopashri; Phensy, Aarron J; Kim, Lily J et al. (2016) Increasing the GluN2A/GluN2B Ratio in Neurons of the Mouse Basal and Lateral Amygdala Inhibits the Modification of an Existing Fear Memory Trace. J Neurosci 36:9490-504
Banerjee, Anwesha; Luong, Jonathan A; Ho, Anthony et al. (2016) Overexpression of Homer1a in the basal and lateral amygdala impairs fear conditioning and induces an autism-like social impairment. Mol Autism 7:16
de Solis, Christopher A; Holehonnur, Roopashri; Banerjee, Anwesha et al. (2015) Viral delivery of shRNA to amygdala neurons leads to neurotoxicity and deficits in Pavlovian fear conditioning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 124:34-47
Partin, Alexander C; Hosek, Matthew P; Luong, Jonathan A et al. (2013) Amygdala nuclei critical for emotional learning exhibit unique gene expression patterns. Neurobiol Learn Mem 104:110-21