Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: Context-bridged associative learning: linking neutral tone engram to fear through shared context

doi: 10.64898/2026.02.26.708189

Figure Lengend Snippet: Tone preexposure facilitates tone fear when retrieval is done in a context similar to the conditioning context. (A) Experimental design. (B) Freezing in Context A′ during baseline exploration and during the tone presentation; * p < 0.0003 compared to “A+Tone; A+Tone”; + - p < 0.0001 compared to “A+Tone; A+Shock”; ^ - p < 0.0001 compared to “A; A+Tone+Shock”; # - p < 0.0001 compared to freezing in Context A’ within the same group, Tukey’s post hoc test.

Article Snippet: Fear conditioning and memory tests were conducted using the Video Fear Conditioning System (MED Associates Inc., Fairfax, VT, USA) controlled by VideoFreeze software (v2.5.5.0; MED Associates).

Techniques:

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: Context-bridged associative learning: linking neutral tone engram to fear through shared context

doi: 10.64898/2026.02.26.708189

Figure Lengend Snippet: Longer context exploration during conditioning enables tone fear and reveals latent inhibition after tone preexposure. (A) Experimental design. (B) Freezing during conditioning in Context A; @ p < 0.0001 for all groups compared to “A+Tone; A+Tone”, Tukey’s post hoc test. (C) Freezing in Context B during baseline exploration and during the tone presentation (tone test); * - p < 0.0003 compared to “A+Tone; A+Tone”; + - p < 0.0001 compared to “A+Tone; A+Shock”; ^ - p < 0.0001 compared to “A; A+Tone+Shock”; # - p < 0.0001 compared to freezing in Context A’ within the same group, Tukey’s post hoc test. (D) Freezing during the Context A test; * - p < 0.05, Dunnett’s T3 post hoc test.

Article Snippet: Fear conditioning and memory tests were conducted using the Video Fear Conditioning System (MED Associates Inc., Fairfax, VT, USA) controlled by VideoFreeze software (v2.5.5.0; MED Associates).

Techniques: Inhibition

Journal: Cells

Article Title: Dendrimer-Conjugated Glutamine Antagonist, D-TTM020, Ameliorates Brain Immune Dysregulation and Improves Neurobehavioral Deficits in the Mecp2- Deficient Mouse Model

doi: 10.3390/cells15030272

Figure Lengend Snippet: D-TTM020 restores contextual fear memory in Mecp2 het mice. ( A ) Fear-conditioning paradigm, ( B ) contextual fear memory. D-TTM020-treated hets rescued conditioned fear memory to baseline levels. ( C ) Fear extinction test (Cue response). D-TTM020 improved contextual fear memory and cue response in Mecp2 hets versus saline and free TTM020. *** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05 in comparison to the saline-treated hets. Data is represented as mean ± SD. n = 9–13/group.

Article Snippet: Contextual fear conditioning: On day 1, the mice were introduced to a fear-conditioning arena (10.75′′ × 9.97′′ × 11.25′′; Med Associates, St. Albans, VT, USA) and allowed to habituate for two minutes.

Techniques: Saline, Comparison

Journal: eLife

Article Title: Gut microbe-derived trimethylamine shapes circadian rhythms through the host receptor TAAR5

doi: 10.7554/eLife.107037

Figure Lengend Snippet: Male or female wild-type mice ( Taar5 +/+ ) or mice lacking the TMA receptor ( Taar5 -/ ) were subjected to a battery of behavioral tests related to cognition, depression, and anxiety including: ( A ) cued fear conditioning, ( B ) elevated plus maze, ( C ) Y-maze, and ( D ) open field test as described in the Methods section. Data are shown for the entire cohort combining both sexes or divided into either male or female cohorts to examine sexual dimorphism in phenotype. Data represent the mean ± SEM from n = 9–10 per group when male and female are separated ( n = 19–20 when both sexes are combined). Significant differences between Taar5 +/+ and Taar5 -/- mice were determined by Student’s t -tests (*p < 0.05).

Article Snippet: Other , Fear Conditioning Chambers , Med Associates , #VFC-008 , Behavioral testing.

Techniques: Battery

Journal: bioRxiv

Article Title: A sensorimotor brain circuit for transforming aversive experiences into emotional states

doi: 10.64898/2026.01.15.699823

Figure Lengend Snippet: CnF-LA/B pathway instructs aversive memory formation. a ) Fear conditioning paradigm with laser inhibition during the peri-shock period (top) and viral/optogenetic strategy (bottom). b ) Optogenetic inactivation of CnF-LA/B projecting cell bodies reduces auditory fear memory formation. Top, acquisition. Bottom, memory retrieval (one-way ANOVA, F (2, 16) = 14.61, P =0.0002). c ) Optogenetic inhibition of CnF terminals in LA/B viral/optogenetic approach (top) and fluorophore labeled CnF terminals in LA/B (bottom). d ) Optogenetic inactivation of CnF terminals in LA/B reduces auditory fear memory formation. Top, acquisition. Bottom, memory retrieval (one-way ANOVA, F (2, 21) = 24.34, P <0.0001). e ) Conditioning paradigm for tone-laser stimulation of Cnf-LA/B pathway (top) viral/optogenetic strategy (bottom). f ) Pairing tone with optogenetic stimulation of CnF-LA/B pathway produces fear learning during the acquisition session (two-way ANOVA, F (2, 144) = 76.64, P <0.0001). Single trials on y-axis. g ) Increased conditioned freezing is maintained in ChR2 paired group at memory retrieval (one-way ANOVA, F (2, 18) = 8.471, P =0.0026). h ) Effect of optogenetic inhibition of CnF-to-LA/B pathway on escape behaviors. i ) Interpretative working model showing CnF-to-LA pathway receiving inputs from brain regions involved in aversive sensory processing and hierarchically organized defensive responding and, in turn, sending external-sensory and internal-motor information to LA/B to instruct associative emotional memory formation and enhance escape responding. ** P <0.01, *** P <0.001. Data represent mean ± SEM

Article Snippet: For all auditory fear conditioning in behavioral studies, animals were placed into a sound-isolating chamber (Med Associates) and received auditory CSs (74 dB, 5-kHz tone pips at 1 Hz with 250 ms on and 750 ms off for 20 s) and electric shock unconditioned stimuli (US) (1 sec, 0.7mA) which co-terminated with the CS.

Techniques: Inhibition, Labeling