Projection from the basolateral amygdala to the anterior cingulate cortex facilitates the consolidation of long-term withdrawal memory.

Abstract

The process through which early memories are transferred to the cerebral cortex to form long-term memories is referred to as memory consolidation, and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is an important brain region involved in this process. Although functional connections between the BLA and multiple brain regions are critical for the consolidation of withdrawal memory, whether the projection from the BLA to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in the formation or consolidation of withdrawal memory remains unclear. In this paper, we used a chemical genetic method to specifically label the BLA-ACC projection in a combined morphine withdrawal and conditioned place aversion (CPA) animal model. We found that (1) the inhibition of the BLA-ACC projection during conditioning had no effects on the formation of early withdrawal memory; (2) the inhibition of the BLA-ACC projection had no effects on the retrieval of either early or long-term withdrawal memory; and (3) the persistent inhibition of the BLA-ACC projection after early withdrawal memory formation could inhibit the formation of long-term withdrawal memory and decrease Arc protein expression in the ACC. These results suggested that the persistent activation of the BLA-ACC projection after the formation of early withdrawal memory facilitates the formation of long-term withdrawal memory by increasing the plasticity of ACC neurons.