Stephen Maren

Silencing basal forebrain cholinergic input to the infralimbic cortex renders fear extinction resistant to renewal

This study shows that silencing cholinergic input from the basal forebrain to the infralimbic cortex during fear extinction prevents fear renewal, highlighting nicotinic signaling as a therapeutic target.

Locus Coeruleus-Amygdala Circuit Disrupts Prefrontal Control to Impair Fear Extinction

This study shows that stress and LC activation promote NE release in the BLA, disrupting vmPFC activity and impairing fear extinction.

Hippocampal-prelimbic coupling during context-dependent extinction retrieval in rats

The paper investigates hippocampal-prelimbic coupling during context-dependent extinction retrieval in rats and finds increased theta oscillation coherence and directional coupling between the dorsal hippocampus and prelimbic cortex.

Theta-paced stimulation of the thalamic nucleus reuniens entrains mPFC-HPC oscillations and facilitates the acquisition of extinction memories

This paper shows that theta-paced stimulation of the thalamic nucleus reuniens reduces freezing behavior and enhances extinction memory in rats.

Associative coding of conditioned fear in the thalamic nucleus reuniens in rodents and humans

This study investigates the role of the nucleus reuniens in fear conditioning and extinction in rodents and humans, finding that RE activity reflects associative value and defensive behavior.

Neural Representation of Associative Threat Learning in Pulvinar Divisions, Lateral Geniculate Nucleus, and Mediodorsal Thalamus in Humans

The paper investigates thalamic activation patterns during associative threat learning using fMRI, identifying distinct roles of pulvinar divisions, LGN, and MD in threat processing and memory.

Functional synaptic connectivity of engrafted spinal cord neurons with locomotor circuitry in the injured spinal cord

This study investigates how transplanted neural progenitor cell-derived neurons integrate into spinal cord locomotor circuits and their functional impact on motor recovery after injury.

Pharmacological stimulation of infralimbic cortex after fear conditioning facilitates subsequent fear extinction

This study shows that pharmacological activation of the infralimbic cortex after fear conditioning enhances fear extinction in rats.

Acute stress yields a sex-dependent facilitation of signaled active avoidance in rats

This study shows acute stress enhances signaled active avoidance in female rats but not males, with males showing resistance to extinction and similar fear learning to females.

Ventral hippocampus mediates inter-trial responding in signaled active avoidance

This study investigates the role of the ventral hippocampus in inter-trial responses during signaled active avoidance in rats, finding that its inactivation reduces these responses while leaving avoidance behavior unaffected.

Thalamic nucleus reuniens coordinates prefrontal-hippocampal synchrony to suppress extinguished fear

This study shows that the thalamic nucleus reuniens coordinates prefrontal-hippocampal theta oscillations to suppress extinguished fear in rats.

Convergent coding of recent and remote fear memory in the basolateral amygdala

This study shows that BLA neurons encode both recent and remote fear memories, indicating the BLA stores emotional memories long-term.

AI-driven high-throughput automation of behavioral analysis and dual-channel wireless optogenetics for multiplexing brain dynamics

This paper develops a wireless platform combining AI for high-throughput behavioral analysis with dual-channel optogenetics to study brain dynamics in freely behaving rats.

Ventral hippocampus mediates the context-dependence of two-way signaled avoidance in male rats

This study shows that ventral hippocampus inactivation removes context-dependence in two-way signaled avoidance behavior in male rats, while dorsal hippocampus inactivation has no effect.

Behavioral and brain mechanisms mediating conditioned flight behavior in rats

This study investigates context-dependent flight behavior in rats, showing that contextual fear influences flight responses and that amygdala inactivation reduces both contextual and flight behaviors.

Threat imminence dictates the role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in contextual fear

The paper shows that the BNST mediates freezing to contexts paired with remote, but not imminent, footshocks, indicating its role in threat imminence.

Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis regulates fear to unpredictable threat signals

This study shows that the BNST processes ambiguous threat signals, reducing freezing to backward conditioned stimuli when inactivated.

Nucleus reuniens is required for encoding and retrieving precise, hippocampal-dependent contextual fear memories in rats

This study shows that the nucleus reuniens (RE) is essential for precise hippocampal-dependent contextual fear memory encoding but not retrieval in rats.