Laboratory study demonstrates distinct engrams control fear and extinction in rats, indicating extinction forms a new memory trace rather than modifying the original fear engram.
Key Points
Disrupting the infralimbic cortex extinction engram reactivates suppressed aversive behavior, demonstrating that extinction forms an independent memory trace.
Targeted apoptosis of activated neurons via the Daun02 procedure in c-Fos-lacZ rats reveals that fear memory reconsolidation relies on original basolateral amygdala engrams.
Highlights the infralimbic cortex as an essential node for suppressing fear; preclinical rat model, so translation to human fear-related disorders requires further validation.