PATHWAYS TO FEAR.

In some individuals, traumatic stressful experiences leave lasting painful memories. In others, they cause dissociative amnesia-an inability to consciously access memories of the traumatic events. Nevertheless, both accessible and inaccessible stress-related memories can profoundly disrupt affective and social functioning. Using mouse models, we have identified some of the pathways contributing to these phenomena. Glutamatergic signaling complexes underlie the formation, retrieval and extinction of accessible fear-inducing episodic memories. Extrasynaptic GABAergic mechanisms, on the other hand, lead to the formation of state-dependent, normally inaccessible memories. The translational implications of our findings for patients suffering from stress-related disorders will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]