ArticlePloS one2011
The neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (Npas4) is required for new and reactivated fear memories.
Article in PloS one, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers.
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Who cites it
64 citing papers in PubMed, 96 citations in OpenAlex.
- Aging disrupts transcriptional programs for memory updating in the dorsal hippocampus and reveals a required role forbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Disruption of psychostimulant-associated memories by single, low dose ketamine in rats.Neuropharmacology · 2026Article
- Npas4 is involved in synaptic and cognitive function by regulating the transcription of Neuroligin-1 and N-cadherin.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- NPAS4 refines spatial and temporal firing in CA1 pyramidal neurons.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Memory-Associated Immediate Early Genes: Roles in Synaptic Function, Memory Processes, and Neurological Diseases.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Hippocampal gene expression changes associated with sequential behavioral training in a temporal lobe epilepsy rat model.Epilepsy & behavior reports · 2025Article
- Endocannabinoid and neuroplasticity-related changes as susceptibility factors in a rat model of posttraumatic stress disorder.Neurobiology of stress · 2024Article
- Biphasic Npas4 expression promotes inhibitory plasticity and suppression of fear memory consolidation in mice.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Article
- Engram mechanisms of memory linking and identity.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2024Review
- All IEGs Are Not Created Equal-Molecular Sorting Within the Memory Engram.Advances in neurobiology · 2024Review
- Article
- Molecular pathways underlying sympathetic autonomic overshooting leading to fear and traumatic memories: looking for alternative therapeutic options for post-traumatic stress disorder.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2023Review
- Astrocyte-derived lactate/NADH alters methamphetamine-induced memory consolidation and retrieval by regulating neuronal synaptic plasticity in the dorsal hippocampus.Brain structure & function · 2022Article
- NPAS4 Polymorphisms Contribute to Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Risk.Cardiovascular toxicology · 2022Article
- Npas4a expression in the teleost forebrain is associated with stress coping style differences in fear learning.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Reversal of synaptic and behavioral deficits in a 16p11.2 duplication mouse model via restoration of the GABA synapse regulator Npas4.Molecular psychiatry · 2021Article
- Tet3 ablation in adult brain neurons increases anxiety-like behavior and regulates cognitive function in mice.Molecular psychiatry · 2021Article
- Npas4 impairs fear memory via phosphorylated HDAC5 induced by CGRP administration in mice.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- The Participation of the Intrinsically Disordered Regions of the bHLH-PAS Transcription Factors in Disease Development.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Article
- Roles and Transcriptional Responses of Inhibitory Neurons in Learning and Memory.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2021Review
4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The Neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (Npas4) is a neuronal activity-dependent immediate early gene that has recently been identified as a transcription factor which regulates the transcription of genes that control inhibitory synapse development and synaptic plasticity. The role Npas4 in learning and memory, however, is currently unknown. Here, we systematically examine the role of Npas4 in auditory Pavlovian fear conditioning, an amygdala-dependent form of emotional learning. In our first series of experiments, we show that Npas4 mRNA and protein are regulated in the rat lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) in a learning-dependent manner. Further, knockdown of Npas4 protein in the LA via adeno-associated viral (AAV) mediated gene delivery of RNAi was observed to impair fear memory formation, while innate fear and the expression of fear memory were not affected. In our second series of experiments, we show that Npas4 protein is regulated in the LA by retrieval of an auditory fear memory and that knockdown of Npas4 in the LA impairs retention of a reactivated, but not a non-reactivated, fear memory. Collectively, our findings provide the first comprehensive look at the functional role of Npas4 in learning and memory.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.