DR. GREGORY QUIRK
Research Interests:
State University of New York– Downstate Medical Center, 1990
Our laboratory studies the neural circuits of extinction of conditioned fear in rats. Extinction is the gradual decrease in conditioned fear that occurs when the conditioned stimulus (such as a tone) is repeatedly presented in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus (such as a footshock). Extinction training is thought to produce a safety signal in the brain that tells the animal that danger is no longer imminent. The prefrontal cortex is one site where extinction memory is formed. The prefrontal cortex inhibits the amygdala, which is the center of fear memory in the brain. We use pharmacological, molecular, unit-recording, and brain stimulation techniques to study prefrontal-amygdala interactions in extinction. This ultimate goal of this research is to develop new treatments for people with anxiety disorders, where extinction of fear is thought to be compromised.
For current lab members, see:
http://www.psm.edu/Quirk%20Lab/index.HTM
Selected Publications (last 3 years):
Maren, S, and G.J. Quirk (2004) Neuronal signalling of fear memory. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 5:844-842.
Lebron K, M,R. Milad, G.J. Quirk (2004) Delayed recall of fear extinction in rats with lesions of ventral medial prefrontal cortex. Learning & Memory 11:544-548.
Santini, E., H. Ge, K. Ren, S. Peña de Ortiz, G.J. Quirk (2004) Consolidation of fear extinction requires protein synthesis in the medial prefrontal cortex. Journal of Neuroscience 24:5704-5710.
Paré, D, G.J. Quirk, and J.E. LeDoux (2004) New vistas on amygdala networks in conditioned fear. Journal of Neurophysiology 92:1-9.
Milad, M.R., I. Vidal-Gonzalez, G.J. Quirk (2004) Electrical stimulation of medial prefrontal cortex reduces conditioned fear in a temporally specific manner. Behavioral Neuroscience 118:389-395.
Quirk, G.J., E. Likhtik, J.G. Pelletier, D. Paré (2003) Stimulation of medial prefrontal cortex decreases the responsiveness of central amygdala output neurons. Journal of Neuroscience 23:8800-8807.
Quirk, G.J., D.R. Gehlert (2003) Inhibition of the amygdala: Key to pathological states? Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 985:263-272.
Milad, M.R., G.J. Quirk (2002) Neurons in medial prefrontal cortex signal memory for fear extinction. Nature 420:70-74.
Quirk, G.J. (2002) Memory for extinction of conditioned fear is long-lasting and persists following spontaneous recovery. Learning and Memory9:402-407.
Santini, E., R.U. Muller, and G.J. Quirk (2001) Consolidation of extinction learning involves transfer from NMDA-independent to NMDA-dependent memory . Journal of Neuroscience 21:9009-17.
