The 5-HT3A receptor is essential for fear extinction
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
Abstract
The 5-HT3 receptor, the only ionotropic 5-HT receptor, is expressed in limbic regions, including the hippocampus, amygdala, and cortex. However, it is not known whether it has a role in fear memory processes. Analysis of 5-HT3A receptor knockout mice in fear conditioning paradigms revealed that the 5-HT3A receptor is not required for the acquisition or retention of fear memory but is essential for the extinction of contextual and tone-cued fear. Our data suggest that the 5-HT3A receptor could be a key molecule regulating fear memory processes and a potential therapeutic target for fear disorders.
Footnotes
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↵1 Corresponding author
E-mail mkondo{at}anat1.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
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[Supplemental material is available for this article.]
- Received June 19, 2013.
- Accepted October 11, 2013.
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