Persistent prelimbic cortex activity contributes to enhanced learned fear expression in females

Georgina E Fenton; Amelia K Pollard; David M Halliday; Rob Mason; Timothy W Bredy; Carl W Stevenson

doi:10.1101/lm.033514.113

Persistent prelimbic cortex activity contributes to enhanced learned fear expression in females

Georgina E Fenton, Amelia K Pollard, David M Halliday, Rob Mason, Timothy W Bredy, Carl W Stevenson

Electronic Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress, are more prevalent in women and are characterized by impaired inhibition of learned fear and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) dysfunction. Here we examined sex differences in fear extinction and mPFC activity in rats. Females showed more learned fear expression during extinction and its recall, but not fear conditioning. They also showed more spontaneous fear recovery and more contextual fear before extinction and its recall. Moreover, enhanced learned fear expression in females was associated with sustained prelimbic (PL) cortex activity. These results suggest that sex differences in learned fear expression may involve persistent PL activation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	55-60
Number of pages	6
Journal	Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)
Volume	21
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1101/lm.033514.113
Publication status	Published - 2014

Keywords

Acoustic Stimulation
Analysis of Variance
Animals
Auditory Perception
Conditioning (Psychology)
Electrodes, Implanted
Electroshock
Extinction, Psychological
Fear
Female
Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic
Male
Mental Recall
Prefrontal Cortex
Rats
Sex Characteristics
Theta Rhythm
Time Factors

Access to Document

10.1101/lm.033514.113

Cite this

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title = "Persistent prelimbic cortex activity contributes to enhanced learned fear expression in females",

abstract = "Anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress, are more prevalent in women and are characterized by impaired inhibition of learned fear and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) dysfunction. Here we examined sex differences in fear extinction and mPFC activity in rats. Females showed more learned fear expression during extinction and its recall, but not fear conditioning. They also showed more spontaneous fear recovery and more contextual fear before extinction and its recall. Moreover, enhanced learned fear expression in females was associated with sustained prelimbic (PL) cortex activity. These results suggest that sex differences in learned fear expression may involve persistent PL activation.",

keywords = "Acoustic Stimulation, Analysis of Variance, Animals, Auditory Perception, Conditioning (Psychology), Electrodes, Implanted, Electroshock, Extinction, Psychological, Fear, Female, Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic, Male, Mental Recall, Prefrontal Cortex, Rats, Sex Characteristics, Theta Rhythm, Time Factors",

author = "Fenton, {Georgina E} and Pollard, {Amelia K} and Halliday, {David M} and Rob Mason and Bredy, {Timothy W} and Stevenson, {Carl W}",

year = "2014",

doi = "10.1101/lm.033514.113",

language = "English",

volume = "21",

pages = "55--60",

journal = "Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)",

issn = "1072-0502",

publisher = "Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Persistent prelimbic cortex activity contributes to enhanced learned fear expression in females

AU - Fenton, Georgina E

AU - Pollard, Amelia K

AU - Halliday, David M

AU - Mason, Rob

AU - Bredy, Timothy W

AU - Stevenson, Carl W

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - Anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress, are more prevalent in women and are characterized by impaired inhibition of learned fear and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) dysfunction. Here we examined sex differences in fear extinction and mPFC activity in rats. Females showed more learned fear expression during extinction and its recall, but not fear conditioning. They also showed more spontaneous fear recovery and more contextual fear before extinction and its recall. Moreover, enhanced learned fear expression in females was associated with sustained prelimbic (PL) cortex activity. These results suggest that sex differences in learned fear expression may involve persistent PL activation.

AB - Anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress, are more prevalent in women and are characterized by impaired inhibition of learned fear and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) dysfunction. Here we examined sex differences in fear extinction and mPFC activity in rats. Females showed more learned fear expression during extinction and its recall, but not fear conditioning. They also showed more spontaneous fear recovery and more contextual fear before extinction and its recall. Moreover, enhanced learned fear expression in females was associated with sustained prelimbic (PL) cortex activity. These results suggest that sex differences in learned fear expression may involve persistent PL activation.

KW - Acoustic Stimulation

KW - Analysis of Variance

KW - Animals

KW - Auditory Perception

KW - Conditioning (Psychology)

KW - Electrodes, Implanted

KW - Electroshock

KW - Extinction, Psychological

KW - Fear

KW - Female

KW - Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic

KW - Male

KW - Mental Recall

KW - Prefrontal Cortex

KW - Rats

KW - Sex Characteristics

KW - Theta Rhythm

KW - Time Factors

U2 - 10.1101/lm.033514.113

DO - 10.1101/lm.033514.113

M3 - Article

C2 - 24429423

SN - 1072-0502

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SP - 55

EP - 60

JO - Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)

JF - Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)

ER -