Role of lateral entorhinal cortex in the destabilization/reconsolidation process of fear memories.

COMAS MUTIS RG; RIVA GARGIULO M; CALFA GD

Congreso; XXXVIII Congreso anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias; 2023

The destabilization and subsequent reconsolidation of fear memories is a complex process through which a previously consolidated memory becomes susceptible to modifications and interferences. In this sense, it has become a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of disorders associated with abnormal memory expression such as the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias. Our previous studies have shown a critical interaction between two key structures for this process: the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) and the dorsal hippocampus (DH), regardless of the scarce direct connections between them. In the present work we explore the involvement of the Lateral Region of the Entorhinal Cortex (L-Cent) in the reconsolidation of fear memories as a functional mediator between BLA and DH. Using the GABAergic agonist Muscimol (MUS) we have been able to disable L-CEnt and evaluate changes both in the fear conditioning task and in structural plasticity of the DH.