Developmental age and fatty acid amide hydrolase genetic variation converge to mediate fear regulation in female mice.

TitleDevelopmental age and fatty acid amide hydrolase genetic variation converge to mediate fear regulation in female mice.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2023
AuthorsGerhard DM, Tse N, Lee FS, Meyer HC
JournalDev Psychobiol
Volume65
Issue6
Paginatione22409
Date Published2023 Sep
ISSN1098-2302
KeywordsAnimals, Endocannabinoids, Extinction, Psychological, Fear, Female, Humans, Male, Mice, Polymorphism, Genetic
Abstract

Anxiety disorders are more prevalent in females than in males, yet a majority of basic neuroscience studies are performed in males. Furthermore, anxiety disorders peak in prevalence during adolescence, yet little is known about neurodevelopmental trajectories of fear expression, particularly in females. To examine these factors, we fear conditioned juvenile, adolescent, and adult female mice and exposed them to fear extinction and a long-term recall test. For this, we used knock-in mice containing a common human mutation in the gene for fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the primary catabolic enzyme for the endocannabinoid anandamide (FAAH-IN). This mutation has been shown to impart a low-anxiety phenotype in humans, and in rodents relative to their wild-type littermates. We find an impact of the FAAH polymorphism on developmental changes in fear behavior. Specifically, the FAAH polymorphism appears to induce a state of hypervigilance (increased fear) during adolescence. We also used markerless pose estimation software to classify alternative behaviors outside of freezing. These analyses revealed age differences in vigilance to indicators of threat and in the propensity of mice to explore an aversive environment, though genotypic differences were minimal. These findings address a gap in the literature regarding developmental patterns of fear learning and memory as well as the mechanistic contributions of the endocannabinoid system in females.

DOI10.1002/dev.22409
Alternate JournalDev Psychobiol
PubMed ID37607892
PubMed Central IDPMC10454978
Grant ListK99 MH119320 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
R00 MH119320 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
R01 MH123154 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
TL1 TR002386 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States