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  • Title: Enduring effects of infant memories: infant odor-shock conditioning attenuates amygdala activity and adult fear conditioning.
    Author: Sevelinges Y, Moriceau S, Holman P, Miner C, Muzny K, Gervais R, Mouly AM, Sullivan RM.
    Journal: Biol Psychiatry; 2007 Nov 15; 62(10):1070-9. PubMed ID: 17826749.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Early life adverse experience alters adult emotional and cognitive development. Here we assess early life learning about adverse experience and its consequences on adult fear conditioning and amygdala activity. METHODS: Neonatal rats were conditioned daily from 8-12 days-old with paired odor (conditioned stimulus, CS) .5mA shock, unpaired, odor-only, or naive (no infant conditioning). In adulthood, each infant training group was divided into three adult training groups: paired, unpaired or odor-only, using either the same infant CS odor, or a novel adult CS odor without or with the infant CS present as context. Adults were cue tested for freezing (odor in novel environment), with amygdala (14)C 2-DG autoradiography and electrophysiology assessment. RESULTS: Infant paired odor-shock conditioning attenuated adult fear conditioning, but only if the same infant CS odor was used. The (14)C 2-DG activity correlated with infant paired odor-shock conditioning produced attenuated amygdala but heightened olfactory bulb activity. Electrophysiological amygdala assessment further suggests early experience causes changes in amygdala processing as revealed by increased paired-pulse facilitation in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: This suggests some enduring effects of early life adversity (shock) are under CS control and dependent upon learning for their impact on later adult fear learning.
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