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Amygdala Dopamine Receptors Are Required for the Destabilization of a Reconsolidating Appetitive Memory$^{1,2}$

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Ratano, P 
Ilioi, EC 
Robbins, MALS 
Everitt, BJ 

Abstract

Disrupting maladaptive memories may provide a novel form of treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders, but little is known about the neurochemical mechanisms underlying the induction of lability, or destabilization, of a retrieved consolidated memory. Destabilization has been theoretically linked to the violation of expectations during memory retrieval, which, in turn, has been suggested to correlate with prediction error (PE). It is well-established that PE correlates with dopaminergic signaling in limbic forebrain structures that are critical for emotional learning. The basolateral amygdala is a key neural substrate for the reconsolidation of pavlovian reward-related memories, but the involvement of dopaminergic mechanisms in inducing lability of amygdala-dependent memories has not been investigated. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that dopaminergic signaling within the basolateral amygdala is required for the destabilization of appetitive pavlovian memories by investigating the effects dopaminergic and protein synthesis manipulations on appetitive memory reconsolidation in rats. Intra-amygdala administration of either the D1-selective dopamine receptor antagonist SCH23390 or the D2-selective dopamine receptor antagonist raclopride prevented memory destabilization at retrieval, thereby protecting the memory from the effects of an amnestic agent, the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin. These data show that dopaminergic transmission within the basolateral amygdala is required for memory labilization during appetitive memory reconsolidation.

Description

Keywords

amygdala, dopamine, reconsolidation

Journal Title

eNeuro

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2373-2822
2373-2822

Volume Title

2

Publisher

Society for Neuroscience
Sponsorship
Medical Research Council (G1002231)
Medical Research Council (G0001354)
Medical Research Council (G1000183)
Wellcome Trust (093875/Z/10/Z)
This work was supported by a UK Medical Research Council Programme Grant (G1002231) to B.J.E. and A.L.M. and was conducted in the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute (BCNI), an initiative jointly funded by the MRC and the Wellcome Trust. A.L.M. was supported by a BCNI lectureship and the Ferrerailletts Fellowship from Downing College, Cambridge. The manuscript was partly prepared while A.L.M. was an Erskine Visiting Cambridge Fellow at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.