Psyrakis, DimitriosJasiewicz, JuliaWehrmeister, MichaelBonni, KathrinLutz, BeatKodirov, Sodikdjon2024-11-192024-11-192024Neuroscience. 2024 Sep 25:556:52-650306-4522http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/95444© 2024 International Brain Research Organization (IBRO). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologiesThe convergence of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli (CS and US) into the lateral amygdala (LA) serves as a substrate for an adequate fear response in vivo. This well-known Pavlovian paradigm modulates the synaptic plasticity of neurons, as can be proved by the long-term potentiation (LTP) phenomenon in vitro. Although there is an increasing body of evidence for the existence of LTP in the amygdala, only a few studies were able to show a reliable long-term depression (LTD) of excitation in this structure. We have used coronal brain slices and conducted patch-clamp recordings in pyramidal neurons of the lateral amygdala (LA). After obtaining a stable baseline excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) response at a holding potential of -70 mV, we employed a paired-pulse paradigm at 1 Hz at the same membrane potential and could observe a reliable LTD. The different durations of stimulation (ranging between 1.5-24 min) were tested first in the same neuron, but the intensity was kept constant. The latter paradigm resulted in a step-wise LTD with a gradually increasing magnitude under these conditions.engAction potentialFear circuitLong-term synaptic plasticityPatch-clampSpikejournal article10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.07.0491873-7544