Divergent input patterns to the central lateral amygdala play a duet in fear memory formation

Abstract

Summary: Somatostatin (SOM)-expressing neurons in the central lateral amygdala (CeL) are responsible for fear memory learning, but the circuit and molecular mechanisms underlying this biology remain elusive. Here, we found that glutamatergic neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPB) directly dominated the activity of CeLSOM neurons, and that selectively inhibiting the LPBGlu→CeLSOM pathway suppressed fear memory acquisition. By contrast, inhibiting CeL-projecting glutamatergic neurons in the paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) interfered with consolidation-related processes. Notably, CeLSOM-innervating neurons in the LPB were modulated by presynaptic cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R), and knock down of CB1Rs in LPB glutamatergic neurons enhanced excitatory transmission to the CeL and partially rescued the impairment in fear memory induced by CB1R activation in the CeL. Overall, our study reveals the mechanisms by which CeLSOM neurons mediate the formation of fear memories during fear conditioning in mice, which may provide a new direction for the clinical research of fear-related disorders.

Keywords

• Neuroscience
• Molecular neuroscience
• Sensory neuroscience