The neural mechanism of the different sub-regions of hippocampus involved in post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients have severe fear extinction disorder, but the underlying molecular and neurobiological mechanisms are still unknown. The hippocampus has sub-regional specific functions, however, their involvement in PTSD is unclear. In this study, we used under water trauma (UWT) model rats which exhibit multiple core symptoms, including anxiety, depression, impaired extinction. dorsal or ventral hippocampus, found that long-term depression at Schaffer collateral medial perforant pathway was UWT rats. Moreover, although expression levels of ionotropic glutamate receptors NR2A, NR2B, GluA1, GluA2 were normal, activity alpha calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (αCaMKII) significantly increased both These findings reveal similar abnormalities synaptic plasticity αCaMKII different hippocampal sub-regions Our results shed light on region-specific role provide a theoretical basis for development treatments PTSD.