Synaptic transmission and plasticity in the amygdala |
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Authors: | Stephen Maren |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 525 E. University Avenue, 48109-1109 Ann Arbor, MI |
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Abstract: | Numerous studies in both rats and humans indicate the importance of the amygdala in the acquisition and expression of learned
fear. The identification of the amygdala as an essential neural substrate for fear conditioning has permitted neurophysiological
examinations of synaptic processes in the amygdala that may mediate fear conditioning. One candidate cellular mechanism for
fear conditioning is long-term potentiation (LTP), an enduring increase in synaptic transmission induced by high-frequency
stimulation of excitatory afferents. At present, the mechanisms underlying the induction and expression of amygdaloid LTP
are only beginning to be understood, and probably involve both theN-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) subclasses of glutamate receptors. This article
will examine recent studies of synaptic transmission and plasticity in the amygdala in an effort to understand the relationships
of these processes to aversive learning and memory. |
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Keywords: | Amygdala long-term potentiation glutamate receptors learning memory rats |
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