Memory Retention Involves the Ventrolateral Orbitofrontal Cortex: Comparison with the Basolateral Amygdala.

ABSTRACT: The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is thought to link stimuli and actions with anticipated outcomes in order to sustain flexible behavior in an ever-changing environment. How it retains these associations to guide future behavior is less well-defined. Here we focused on one subregion of this heterogeneous structure, the ventrolateral OFC (VLO). CaMKII-driven inhibitory Gi-coupled designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) were infused and subsequently activated by their ligand Clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) in conjunction with fear extinction training (a form of aversive conditioning) and response-outcome conditioning (a form of appetitive conditioning). Gi-DREADD-mediated inactivation of the VLO during extinction conditioning interfered with fear extinction memory, resultin

SUBMITTER: Zimmermann KS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5729558 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature