Involvement of the insular cortex in the consolidation and expression of contextual fear conditioning

Autor(es)

Alves, Fernando H. F. ^[1] ; Gomes, Felipe V. ^{[1, 2]} ; Reis, Daniel G. ^[1] ; Crestani, Carlos C. ^[3] ; Correa, Fernando M. A. ^[1] ; Guimaraes, Francisco S. ^{[1, 2]} ; Resstel, Leonardo B. M. ^{[1, 2]}

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Pharmacol, Sch Med Ribeirao Preto, BR-14049900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Ctr Interdisciplinary Res Appl Neurosci NAPNA, BR-14049900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Sch Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Nat Act Principles & Toxicol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: European Journal of Neuroscience; v. 38, n. 2, p. 2300-2307, JUL 2013.
• Citações Web of Science: 11

Resumo

The insular cortex (IC) has been reported to be involved in the modulation of memory and autonomic and defensive responses. However, there is conflicting evidence about the role of the IC in fear conditioning. To explore the IC involvement in both behavioral and autonomic responses induced by contextual fear conditioning, we evaluated the effects of the reversible inhibition of the IC neurotransmission through bilateral microinjections of the non-selective synapse blocker CoCl2 (1mm) 10min before or immediately after the conditioning session or 10min before re-exposure to the aversive context. In the conditioning session, rats were exposed to a footshock chamber (context) and footshocks were used as the unconditioned stimulus. Forty-eight hours later, the animals were re-exposed to the aversive context for 10min, but no shock was given. Behavioral (freezing) as well as cardiovascular (arterial pressure and heart rate increases) responses induced by re-exposure to the aversive context were analysed. It was observed that the local IC neurotransmission inhibition attenuated freezing and the mean arterial pressure and heart rate increase of the groups that received the CoCl2 either immediately after conditioning or 10min before re-exposure to the aversive context, but not when the CoCl2 was injected before the conditioning session. These findings suggest the involvement of the IC in the consolidation and expression of contextual aversive memory. However, the IC does not seem to be essential for the acquisition of memory associated with aversive context. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 11/21921-1 - Participação do córtex pré-frontal medial nos processos de reconsolidação e extinção da memória aversiva condicionada em ratos: possível interação entre e a via glutamato - óxido nítrico e os endocanabinóides
• Beneficiário: Daniel Gustavo dos Reis
• Linha de fomento: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 11/07332-3 - Estudo do envolvimento do hipocampo dorsal de ratos nas respostas comportamentais e autonômicas associadas a reações de defesa: uma possível via receptores NMDA/óxido nítrico e endocanabinóides
• Beneficiário: Leonardo Resstel Barbosa Moraes
• Linha de fomento: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 10/09462-9 - Estudo dos mecanismos periféricos envolvidos na resposta cardiovascular de ratos durante a sepse: possível participação do sistema endocanabinóide
• Beneficiário: Fernando Henrique Ferrari Alves
• Linha de fomento: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 12/09300-4 - O sistema noradrenérgico presente no núcleo leito da estria terminal modula a resposta emocional condicionada contextual: uma possível interação com o CRF e as neurotransmissões glutamatérgica e nitrérgica
• Beneficiário: Leonardo Resstel Barbosa Moraes
• Linha de fomento: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular