Zur Rolle des cannabinoiden Systems bei konditionierter Furcht der Ratte

In recent research the cannabinoide system has been documented as a versatile neuromodulatory system which among other things influences learning and memory. We here applied the paradigm of fear conditioning to study the influence of cannabinoid receptor agonists and antagonists on different phases of learning and memory processes in rats. The prefrontal cortex and the amygdala play a decisive role in the coordination of emotional behavior. In both brain areas cannabinoid receptors (CB1) have already been detected. Through the combination of fear conditioning and specific activation or inhibition of the CB1 receptors in these brain areas new insight on the influence of the cannabinoid system could gained especially on emotional learning and memory processes and their different phases.