Download or read book Strong Acute-Stress Impairs Cortical Synaptic Plasticity In The Amygdala written by Natalia Madeira and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The way we perceive traumatic events can be dramatically different. After an extreme traumatic event, some individuals can develop a pathological condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characterized by the occurrence of intrusive and aversive recollections of the event. Previous studies have suggested that these intrusive memories result from the consolidation of dysfunctional memories that are retrieved and reconsolidated. This reconsolidation leads to a reinforcement of these memories and their generalization to other events. We have previously described a critical role of the endocannabinoid signalling in modulating thalamic activity and the maintenance of heterosynaptic forms of plasticity. Using a model of PTSD (underwater trauma - UWT), we aim to address whether the development of PTSD alters synaptic plasticity in the amygdala, focusing on the differential modulation of thalamic and cortical inputs. We found that a single high-stressor event leads to the development of a generalized anxiety phenotype. Animals subjected to the UWT display an increase in stress behaviours in the Open-field (OF), Elevated-plus maze (EPM) and in the Social Preference Test (SPT). Combinatory analysis of behaviour allowed us to define a PTSD phenotype based on the score distribution of control animals in the three tests used. UWT increased significantly the number of animals that display a PTSD phenotype. Electrophysiological analysis of LA pyramidal cells from UWT animals show no differences in resting potential but an increase in excitability, namely in actin-potential threshold (APT). We also found a specific impairment in cortical LTP in UWT animals as compared to control. We are currently addressing whether resilience is linked to endocannabinoid signalling.