Hippocampal Inputs in the Prelimbic Cortex Curb Fear after Extinction.

In contrast to easily formed fear memories, fear extinction requires prolonged training. The prelimbic cortex (PL), which integrates signals from brain structures involved in fear conditioning and extinction such as the ventral hippocampus (vHIP) and the basolateral amygdala (BL), is necessary for fear memory retrieval. Little is known, however, about how the vHIP and BL inputs to the PL regulate the display of fear after fear extinction.

Ecological validity of social interaction tests in rats and mice.

Different rat and mouse models are used in studies of social interactions. Simple behavioral measures, which are commonly used in the laboratory, allow to perform relatively short experiments and to use multiple brain manipulation techniques. However, too much focus on the simplest behavioral models generates a serious risk of reducing ecological validity or even studying phenomena which would never happen outside of the laboratory.