Researchers found that fear conditioning led to learning-specific changes in neuronal-network activity in the dorsal part of the medial prefrontal cortex of mice.
This study demonstrates the use of combined methods for detailed visualization of the dynamics of neural networks, and describes techniques that could be used to uncover additional information about the neurological changes associated with learning and memory. Scientists have long speculated about the physical changes that occur in the brain when a new memory is formed. Now, research from the National Institute for Physiological Sciences has shed light on this intriguing neurological mystery.
"The dmPFC shows specific neural activation and synchrony during fear-memory retrieval and evoked fear responses, such as freezing and heart rate deceleration," explains lead author Masakazu Agetsuma."Artificial silencing of the dmPFC in mice suppressed fear responses, indicating that this region is required to recall associative fear-memory.
"We successfully detected a neural population that encodes fear memory," says Agetsuma."Our analyses showed us that fear conditioning induced the formation of a fear-memory neural network with 'hub' neurons that functionally connected the memory neurons." Memories have long been thought to be formed by the enhancement of neural connections, which are strengthened by the repeated activation of groups of neurons. The findings of the present study, which were based on both real-life observations and model-based analysis, support this. Furthermore, the study demonstrates how combined methods can be used to visualize the dynamics of neural networks in great detail.
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