The Three Musketeers in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex: Subregion-specific Structural and Functional Plasticity Underlying Fear Memory Stages

Abstract

Fear memory recruits various brain regions with long-lasting brain-wide subcellular events. The medial prefrontal cortex processes the emotional and cognitive functions required for adequately handling fear memory. Several studies have indicated that subdivisions within the medial prefrontal cortex, namely the prelimbic, infralimbic, and anterior cingulate cortices, may play different roles across fear memory states. Through a dedicated cytoarchitecture and connectivity, the three different regions of the medial prefrontal cortex play a specific role in maintaining and extinguishing fear memory. Furthermore, synaptic plasticity and maturation of neural circuits within the medial prefrontal cortex suggest that remote memories undergo structural and functional reorganization. Finally, recent technical advances have enabled genetic access to transiently activated neuronal ensembles within these regions, suggesting that memory trace cells in these regions may preferentially contribute to processing specific fear memory. We reviewed recently published reports and summarize the molecular, synaptic and cellular events occurring within the medial prefrontal cortex during various memory stages.

Systems consolidation induces multiple memory engrams for a flexible recall strategy in observational fear memory in male mice

“…In contrast, because only the PLC is activated by recall of observational CFC memory in the demonstrator chamber at the remote timepoint, we speculate that upstream inputs to the PLC such as thalamus, entorhinal cortex, or a combination of different regions, which are activated during recall of direct CFC memory at the remote time point 21 , 52 , may trigger PLC neurons to elicit recall of observational CFC memory in the demonstrator chamber. Consistent with previous reports that demonstrate that the ILC is involved with extinction learning of fearful associations 84 – 86 , we found that the ILC was not activated in by recall of observational CFC memory in the observer or demonstrator chamber at either time point (Figs. 3f and 4g ).…”

Disrupted topological organization of the default mode network in mild cognitive impairment with subsyndromal depression: A graph theoretical analysis

“…Several studies have shown that the aMPFC is a crucial brain area in depressive symptomatology and is involved in the underlying pathology of depression, 47 which could support our findings to some extent. Recent studies have shown that the aMPFC processes the emotional and cognitive functions required for adequately handling episodic and fear memory 48 . In our study, the E nod of the left aMPFC positively correlated with global cognition measured by MMSE in the MCID group, which is compatible with the role of the aMPFC in the development of cognitive impairments.…”

“…Recent studies have shown that the aMPFC processes the emotional and cognitive functions required for adequately handling episodic and fear memory. 48 In our study, the E nod of the left aMPFC positively correlated with global cognition measured by MMSE in the MCID group, which is compatible with the role of the aMPFC in the development of cognitive impairments. The findings suggested that the left aMPFC may serve as a biomarker of different clinical phenotypic presentations of MCI.…”

“…Recent studies have shown that the aMPFC processes the emotional and cognitive functions required for adequately handling episodic and fear memory. 48 In our study, the…”