Project Summary

Vadim Bolshakov, Ph.D. (Independent Investigator 2004) of McLean Hospital/Harvard University, will study human anxiety disorder by using special microscopy methods to examine whether structural changes in the amygdala of rat brains are part of the expression of synaptic plasticity in fear conditioning. Fear conditioning is a model of learning that results from an attachment of emotional significance to an initially neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) when the CS is paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus during behavioral training. The amygdala complex, a component of the limbic system, serves an essential function in fear learning, as long-term synaptic modifications in afferent inputs to the amygdala constitute a key cellular mechanism contributing to the acquisition of fear memory. Anxiety disorders may result from an association between a certain traumatic event and strong unconscious memories leading to fear and anxiety. Microscopic imaging of the brains of rats that have been fear conditioned could identify structural changes in their amygdala that may be possible new targets for anti-anxiety medications.

Program Area: ANXIETY DISORDERS\Anxiety Disorder

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