Current Biology
Volume 23, Issue 6, 18 March 2013, Pages 467-472
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Detection of a Temporal Error Triggers Reconsolidation of Amygdala-Dependent Memories

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Summary

Updating memories is critical for adaptive behaviors, but the rules and mechanisms governing that process are still not well defined. During a limited time window, the reactivation of consolidated aversive memories triggers memory lability and induces a plasticity-dependent reconsolidation process in the lateral nucleus of amygdala (LA) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. However, whether new information is necessary for initiating reconsolidation is not known. Here we show that changing the temporal relationship between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US) during reactivation is sufficient to trigger synaptic plasticity and reconsolidation of an aversive memory in the LA. These findings demonstrate that time is a core part of the CS-US association and that new information must be presented during reactivation in order to trigger LA-dependent reconsolidation processes. In sum, this study provides new basic knowledge about the precise rules governing memory reconsolidation of aversive memories that might be used to treat traumatic memories.

Highlights

► Fear reconsolidation is only triggered when memory is updated with new information ► Time is a core part of the Pavlovian CS-US association ► Reactivation synaptic plasticity occurs only when error prediction is detected

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