Angiotensin type 1a receptors on corticotropin‐releasing factor neurons contribute to the expression of conditioned fear1 |
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Authors: | R C Hurt J C Garrett O P Keifer Jr A Linares L Couling R C Speth K J Ressler P J Marvar |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesEmory University School of Medicine;2. Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA;3. Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences;4. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL;5. Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC;6. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Bethesda, MD;7. Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University School of Medical and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA |
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Abstract: | Although generally associated with cardiovascular regulation, angiotensin II receptor type 1a (AT1aR) blockade in mouse models and humans has also been associated with enhanced fear extinction and decreased post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, respectively. The mechanisms mediating these effects remain unknown, but may involve alterations in the activities of corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF)‐expressing cells, which are known to be involved in fear regulation. To test the hypothesis that AT1aR signaling in CRFergic neurons is involved in conditioned fear expression, we generated and characterized a conditional knockout mouse strain with a deletion of the AT1aR gene from its CRF‐releasing cells (CRF‐AT1aR(?/?)). These mice exhibit normal baseline heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety and locomotion, and freeze at normal levels during acquisition of auditory fear conditioning. However, CRF‐AT1aR(?/?) mice exhibit less freezing than wild‐type mice during tests of conditioned fear expression—an effect that may be caused by a decrease in the consolidation of fear memory. These results suggest that central AT1aR activity in CRF‐expressing cells plays a role in the expression of conditioned fear, and identify CRFergic cells as a population on which AT1R antagonists may act to modulate fear extinction. |
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Keywords: | Amygdala angiotensin II angiotensin II receptor type 1 blood pressure cardiovascular corticotropin‐releasing factor extinction fear paraventricular nucleus PTSD |
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