This application is a request for an ADAMHA RSDA Level II award. The long-term objective of the proposed research is to understand how the brain establishes emotional memories. In previous studies, pathways that are essential for the classical conditioning of emotional memories by pairing an acoustic conditioned stimulus with an aversive unconditioned stimulus were identified. An essential pathway in this circuitry involves the relay of acoustic information from the thalamus to the amygdala. The proposed experiments will attempt to identify cellular mechanisms in the thalamo-amygdala pathway that underlie emotional conditioning. In particular, the focus is on synaptic interactions between amygdala neurons and their inputs from auditory processing areas of the thalamus. The goals are to determine whether the excitatory amino acid, glutamate, is present in the pathway and, if so, to determine whether this substance contributes to neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity and emotional learning. To achieve these goals, light and electron microscopic anatomical studies, unit recording neurophysiological studies, and behavioral studies will be performed. The results of these experiments should begin to take our understanding of emotional learning to the level of detailed neural circuits and their synapses and should help in the understanding and treatment of emotional disorders.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research (K02)
Project #
5K02MH000956-05
Application #
2392828
Study Section
Cognitive Functional Neuroscience Review Committee (CFN)
Project Start
1993-04-01
Project End
1998-03-31
Budget Start
1997-04-01
Budget End
1998-03-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
1997
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
New York University
Department
Neurology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
004514360
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10012
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Debiec, Jacek; LeDoux, Joseph E; Nader, Karim (2002) Cellular and systems reconsolidation in the hippocampus. Neuron 36:527-38

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