Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Discipline

Brain Science Institute

Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders

Amiel Rosenkranz graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1997. He remained at the University of Pittsburgh to earn the MS degree in 1999 and the PhD in 2002, both in Neuroscience. Following postdoctoral work at the Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas-Austin he joined the faculty of the Chicago Medical School in 2007 in the Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology discipline.

Research

Neurophysiology of Emotion and Memory

A dysfunction in the production, influence or perception of emotion is at the core of several psychiatric disorders. The amygdala is part of a system that mediates the influence of emotion on behavior and memory formation. In this laboratory we examine 1) how the amygdala influences these processes, 2) how it changes during learning, and 3) how it is disrupted in animal models of psychiatric disorders.

Modulation of synaptic integration

Synaptic inputs can drive neuronal activity. Their influence on neuronal output will be determined, in part, by integrative properties of the neuron. These properties are influenced by many factors, including monoamines and peptides. In this laboratory we examine how integrative properties are modified, and what role the dendrites play in this modulation.

Publications

Fear Learning Enhances Prefrontal Cortical Suppression of Auditory Thalamic Inputs to the Amygdala in Adults, but Not Adolescents. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(8):3008. Published 2020 Apr 24. doi:10.3390/ijms21083008

Maturation of amygdala inputs regulate shifts in social and fear behaviors: A substrate for developmental effects of stress. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021;125:11-25. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.021

Shifts in Medial Orbitofrontal Cortex Activity from Adolescence to Adulthood. Cereb Cortex. 2022;32(3):528-539. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhab231

. Developmental Shifts in Amygdala Activity during a High Social Drive State. J Neurosci. 2021;41(45):9308-9325. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1414-21.2021

. Medial orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens mediation in risk assessment behaviors in adolescents and adults. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2022;47(10):1808-1815. doi:10.1038/s41386-022-01273-w

. Induction of Repeated Social Defeat Stress in Rats. Bio Protoc. 2022;12(3):e4306. Published 2022 Feb 5. doi:10.21769/BioProtoc.4306

. Sex differences in the Activity of Basolateral Amygdalar Neurons that Project to the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis and their Role in Anticipatory Anxiety [published online ahead of print, 2022 Apr 26]. J Neurosci. 2022;42(22):4488-4504. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1499-21.2022

. The medial orbitofrontal cortex governs reward-related circuits in an age-dependent manner [published online ahead of print, 2022 May 12]. Cereb Cortex. 2022;bhac182. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhac182

. Isolation driven changes in Iba1-positive microglial morphology are associated with social recognition memory in adults and adolescents. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2022;192:107626. doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107626

. Developmental differences in amygdala projection neuron activation associated with isolation-driven changes in social preference. Front Behav Neurosci. 2022;16:956102. Published 2022 Aug 24. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2022.956102

Repeated stress induces a pro-inflammatory state, increases amygdala neuronal and microglial activation, and causes anxiety in adult male rats. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 84:180-199.

Cocaine and chronic stress exposure produce an additive increase in neuronal activity in the basolateral amygdala. Addict Biol. 2019 Nov 21:e12848.

Disruptive effects of repeated stress on basolateral amygdala neurons and fear behavior across the estrous cycle in rats. Sci Rep. 2019 9:12292.

Peripheral anti-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-10 treatment mitigates interleukin-1β - induced anxiety and sickness behaviors in adult male rats. Behav Brain Res. 2019 372:112024.

Limited prefrontal cortical regulation over the basolateral amygdala in adolescent rats. Sci Rep. 2018 8:17171.

Effects of Peripheral Immune Challenge on In Vivo Firing of Basolateral Amygdala Neurons in Adult Male Rats. Neuroscience. 2018 390:174-186.

Sex- and Estrus-Dependent Differences in Rat Basolateral Amygdala. J Neurosci. 2017 37:10567-10586.

An intra-amygdala circuit specifically regulates social fear learning. Nat Neurosci. 2017 20:459-469.

Repeated restraint stress exposure during early withdrawal accelerates incubation of cue-induced cocaine craving. Addict Biol. 2018 23:80-89.

Effects of Repeated Stress on Age-Dependent GABAergic Regulation of the Lateral Nucleus of the Amygdala. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016 41:2309-23.

Social Isolation During Postweaning Development Causes Hypoactivity of Neurons in the Medial Nucleus of the Male Rat Amygdala. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016 41:1929-40.

Repeated social defeat stress enhances the anxiogenic effect of bright light on operant reward-seeking behavior in rats. Behav Brain Res. 2015 290:172-9.

Qualitatively different effect of repeated stress during adolescence on principal neuron morphology across lateral and basal nuclei of the rat amygdala. Neuroscience. 2015 291:128-45.

Greater physiological and behavioral effects of interrupted stress pattern compared to daily restraint stress in rats. PLoS One. 2014 Jul 11;9:e102247. eCollection 2014.

Distinct effects of repeated restraint stress on basolateral amygdala neuronal membrane properties in resilient adolescent and adult rats. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2014 39:2114-30.

Repeated restraint stress exerts different impact on structure of neurons in the lateral and basal nuclei of the amygdala. Neuroscience. 2013 246:230-42.

Repeated restraint stress enhances cue-elicited conditioned freezing and impairs acquisition of extinction in an age-dependent manner. Behav Brain Res. 2013 248:12-24.

Effects of Repeated Stress on Excitatory Drive of Basal Amygdala Neurons In Vivo. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013 38:1748-62.

Post-weaning social isolation impairs observational fear conditioning. Behav Brain Res. 2013 242:142-9.

In vivo voltage-dependent influences on summation of synaptic potentials in neurons of the lateral nucleus of the amygdala. Neuroscience. 2012 226:101-18.

Repeated restraint stress increases basolateral amygdala neuronal activity in an age-dependent manner. Neuroscience. 2012 226:459-74.

Pharmacological enhancement of calcium-activated potassium channel function reduces the effects of repeated stress on fear memory. Behav Brain Res. 2012 232:37-43.

Effect of amphetamine place conditioning on excitatory synaptic events in the basolateral amygdala ex vivo. Neuroscience. 2012 206:7-16.

Neuronal activity causes rapid changes of lateral amygdala neuronal membrane properties and reduction of synaptic integration and synaptic plasticity in vivo. J Neurosci. 2011 31:6108-20.

Chronic Stress Causes Amygdala Hyperexcitability in Rodents. Biol Psychiatry. 2010 67:1128-36.

Amphetamine-associated contextual learning is accompanied by structural and functional plasticity in the basolateral amygdala. J Neurosci. 2010 30:4676-86.

Kinase-dependent modification of dendritic excitability after long-term potentiation. J Physiol. 2009 587(Pt 1):115-25.

State-dependent modulation of amygdala inputs by dopamine-induced enhancement of sodium currents in layer V entorhinal cortex. J Neurosci. 2007 27:7054-69.

Dopaminergic regulation of neuronal excitability through modulation of Ih in layer V entorhinal cortex. J Neurosci. 2006 26:3229-44.

Opposing influence of basolateral amygdala and footshock stimulation on neurons of the central amygdala. Biol Psychiatry. 2006 59:801-11.

Chronic cold stress alters prefrontal cortical modulation of amygdala neuronal activity in rats. Biol Psychiatry. 2005 58:382-91.

Dopamine modulates excitability of basolateral amygdala neurons in vitro. J Neurophysiol. 2005 93:1598-610.

Electrophysiological interactions between striatal glutamatergic and dopaminergic systems. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2003 1003:53-74. Review.

The prefrontal cortex regulates lateral amygdala neuronal plasticity and responses to previously conditioned stimuli. J Neurosci. 2003 23:11054-64.

Affective conditioning in the basolateral amygdala of anesthetized rats is modulated by dopamine and prefrontal cortical inputs. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2003 985:488-91. No abstract available.

Regulation of conditioned responses of basolateral amygdala neurons. Physiol Behav. 2002 77:489-93. Review.

Dopamine-mediated modulation of odour-evoked amygdala potentials during pavlovian conditioning. Nature. 2002 417:282-7.

Cellular mechanisms of infralimbic and prelimbic prefrontal cortical inhibition and dopaminergic modulation of basolateral amygdala neurons in vivo. J Neurosci. 2002 22:324-37.

Dopamine attenuates prefrontal cortical suppression of sensory inputs to the basolateral amygdala of rats. J Neurosci. 2001 21:4090-103.

. Modulation of basolateral amygdala neuronal firing and afferent drive by dopamine receptor activation in vivo. J Neurosci. 1999 19:11027-39.