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Molecular Pain
Published in: Molecular Pain 1/2005

Open Access 01-12-2005 | Research

Pavlovian fear memory induced by activation in the anterior cingulate cortex

Authors: Jianrong Tang, Shanelle Ko, Hoi-Ki Ding, Chang-Shen Qiu, Amelita A Calejesan, Min Zhuo

Published in: Molecular Pain | Issue 1/2005

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Abstract

Identifying higher brain central region(s) that are responsible for the unpleasantness of pain is the focus of many recent studies. Here we show that direct stimulation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in mice produced fear-like freezing responses and induced long-term fear memory, including contextual and auditory fear memory. Auditory fear memory required the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the amygdala. To test the hypothesis that neuronal activity in the ACC contributes to unpleasantness, we injected a GABAA receptor agonist, muscimol bilaterally into the ACC. Both contextual and auditory memories induced by foot shock were blocked. Furthermore, activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors in the ACC enhanced behavioral escape responses in a noxious hot-plate as well as spinal nociceptive tail-flick reflex. Our results provide strong evidence that the excitatory activity in the ACC contribute to pain-related fear memory as well as descending facilitatory modulation of spinal nociception.
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Metadata
Title
Pavlovian fear memory induced by activation in the anterior cingulate cortex
Authors
Jianrong Tang
Shanelle Ko
Hoi-Ki Ding
Chang-Shen Qiu
Amelita A Calejesan
Min Zhuo
Publication date
01-12-2005
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Molecular Pain / Issue 1/2005
Electronic ISSN: 1744-8069
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-8069-1-6

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