Ehrlich D E, Josselyn S A
Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Otolaryngology, NYU Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Genes Brain Behav. 2016 Jan;15(1):125-43. doi: 10.1111/gbb.12255. Epub 2015 Oct 20.
Learning about motivationally important stimuli involves plasticity in the amygdala, a temporal lobe structure. Amygdala-dependent learning involves a growing number of plasticity-related signaling pathways also implicated in brain development, suggesting that learning-related signaling in juveniles may simultaneously influence development. Here, we review the pleiotropic functions in nervous system development and amygdala-dependent learning of a signaling pathway that includes brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), extracellular signaling-related kinases (ERKs) and cyclic AMP-response element binding protein (CREB). Using these canonical, plasticity-related genes as an example, we discuss the intersection of learning-related and developmental plasticity in the immature amygdala, when aversive and appetitive learning may influence the developmental trajectory of amygdala function. We propose that learning-dependent activation of BDNF, ERK and CREB signaling in the immature amygdala exaggerates and accelerates neural development, promoting amygdala excitability and environmental sensitivity later in life.
了解具有动机重要性的刺激涉及杏仁核（颞叶结构）中的可塑性。依赖杏仁核的学习涉及越来越多与可塑性相关的信号通路，这些通路也与大脑发育有关，这表明青少年时期与学习相关的信号可能同时影响发育。在这里，我们综述了一条信号通路在神经系统发育和依赖杏仁核的学习中的多效性功能，该信号通路包括脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）、细胞外信号调节激酶（ERK）和环磷酸腺苷反应元件结合蛋白（CREB）。以这些典型的、与可塑性相关的基因为例，我们讨论了未成熟杏仁核中与学习相关的可塑性和发育可塑性的交叉点，此时厌恶和食欲学习可能会影响杏仁核功能的发育轨迹。我们提出，未成熟杏仁核中BDNF、ERK和CREB信号的学习依赖性激活会夸大并加速神经发育，促进后期生活中杏仁核的兴奋性和环境敏感性。
