Abstract
Rationale
Experiencing intrusive distressing memories of a traumatic event(s) is a prominent symptom profile for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms associated with this symptom profile can be invaluable for effective treatment for PTSD.
Objectives
Here, we investigated the functional role of the nucleus reuniens (RE), a midline thalamic in modulating stressor-related memory.
Methods
Female Long Evans rats were implanted with a cannula aimed at the RE. The RE was pharmacologically inactivated via muscimol (0.5 mM) prior to exposure to the predator odor stressor trimethylthiazoline (TMT; synthetically derived fox feces component) or water (controls) in a distinct context with bedding material (experiment 1) or no bedding (experiment 2). To measure context reactivity, the index of the contextual memory, 2 weeks following exposure to TMT, rats were re-exposed to the TMT-paired context (in the absence of TMT).
Results
In experiment 1, during context re-exposure (with bedding), inactivation of the RE had no effect on context reactivity. In experiment 2, during context re-exposure (no bedding), rats previously exposed to TMT showed decreased immobility compared to controls, indicating reactivity to the context and likely related to theincreased exploration of the environment. Rats in the TMT group that received RE inactivation showed increased immobility relative to rats that received aCSF, suggesting that muscimol pre-treatment blunted context reactivity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, recruitment of the RE in stressor-related contextual memory appears to be dependent on the contextual environment and whether the animal is able to engage in different stress coping strategies.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Abigail Garcia-Baza for their help with behavioral analysis.
Funding
This work was supported in part by the National Institute of Health AA026537 and AA011605 (JB) and by the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. LCO was supported by Diversity Supplement to AA026537.
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Ornelas, L.C., Van Voorhies, K. & Besheer, J. The role of the nucleus reuniens in regulating contextual conditioning with the predator odor TMT in female rats. Psychopharmacology 238, 3411–3421 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-021-05957-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-021-05957-x