ReviewMouse models of fear-related disorders: Cell-type-specific manipulations in amygdala

- The amygdala is made of many subnuclei and cell types.
- A detailed understanding of the cell-type structure is critical.
- Fear disorders such as PTSD, Panic, and Phobia are related to amygdala dysfunction.
- We review the CRF and other amygdala peptides in anxiety, fear and extinction.

Fear conditioning is a model system used to study threat responses, fear memory and their dysregulation in a variety of organisms. Newly developed tools such as optogenetics, Cre recombinase and DREADD technologies have allowed researchers to manipulate anatomically or molecularly defined cell subtypes with a high degree of temporal control and determine the effect of this manipulation on behavior. These targeted molecular techniques have opened up a new appreciation for the critical contributions different subpopulations of cells make to fear behavior and potentially to treatment of fear and anxiety disorders. Here we review progress to date across a variety of techniques to understand fear-related behavior through the manipulation of different cell subtypes within the amygdala.