MAINTENANCE OF FEAR MEMORIES IN THE AMYGDALA

这个子项目是许多利用资源的研究子项目之一 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目的主要支持 而子项目的主要调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括其它NIH来源。 列出的子项目总成本可能 代表子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， 而不是由NCRR赠款提供给子项目或子项目工作人员的直接资金。 最近的研究表明，蛋白激酶M zeta（PKM）在学习后变得持续活跃，并可能支持突触活动，这些突触活动是长期记忆永久存储的基础。 如果是这样的话，抑制杏仁核中的PKM应该永久地消除恐惧的长期记忆。 过去一年的工作通过评估PKM阻断后不同时间间隔的记忆来测试杏仁核中的PKM抑制是否永久性地破坏恐惧记忆。 尽管在测试前不久使用抑制剂会破坏恐惧记忆的表达，但当大鼠在较长的保留时间内进行测试时，它没有影响。 这些结果表明，PKM抑制不会消除记忆，但会暂时破坏记忆的表达。 这项工作的长期目标是更好地理解记忆如何储存在大脑中的基本问题。这个项目的工作对于全面了解各种器质性失忆症和精神病理学是如何发展和持续的可能非常有用。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Recent studies suggest that protein kinase M zeta (PKM¿) becomes persistently active following learning and may support synaptic activity underlying the permanent storage of long-term memories. If this is the case, inhibiting PKM¿ in the amygdala should permanently erase fearful long-term memories. The work over the last year tested whether PKM¿ inhibition in the amygdala permanently disrupts fear memory by assessing memory at various intervals after PKM¿ blockade. Although the expression of fear memory was disrupted when the inhibitor was applied shortly before testing, it had no effect when rats were tested with longer retention intervals. These results suggest that PKM¿ inhibition does not erase memory, but temporarily disrupts expression of memory. The long-term goal of the work in this proposal is to reach a better understanding of the fundamental issue of how memories are stored in the brain. The work in this project is potentially very useful in coming to a full understanding of how various organic amnesias and psychopathologies develop and persist.