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EMAIL alm46@cam.ac.uk
College Downing College
Department
  • Psychology
    • School
  • Biological Sciences
    • Institute
  • Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute
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    Research Theme Adaptive Brain Computations Neurons, Circuits and Networks

    Other Interdiciplinary Incentives

  • SBS Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour theme

    • Research Focus

    Keywords

  • Emotional Memory
  • PTSD
  • OCD
  • Addiction
  • Animal Models
  • Animal Behaviour

    • Clinical Conditions

  • Addiction
  • Obsessive compulsive disorder
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder

    • Equipment & Techniques

  • Behavioural analysis
  • Statistical analysis

    • Science Culture

  • Open Access

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    Professor Amy Milton

    (she/her/hers)
    University Position
    Professor
    Professor Amy Milton is pleased to consider applications from prospective PhD students.

    Interests

    Memory is a critical function of the brain, but little is known about the mechanisms by which memories are modified, adapted, and persist. Memories are known to 'reconsolidate' undergoing updating and strengthening following their destabilisation at retrieval. I study the neurochemical, molecular and intracellular basis of the reconsolidation process, for aversive (fear) and appetitive (addictive drug) memories. Using translationally relevant animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, drug addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder, I also focus on using this knowledge of memory reconsolidation mechanisms to develop treatments for these disorders, based on the disruption of maladaptive memories.

    Collaborators

    Cambridge
  • Barry Everitt
  • Trevor Robbins
  • Jeff Dalley
  • David Belin
  • Karen Ersche
  • Paul Miller

    • Associated News Items

    Key Publications

    The challenge of memory destabilisation: From prediction error to prior expectations and biomarkers.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.01.010
    Journal: Brain Res Bull
    E-pub date: 1 Mar 2023
    Authors: AL Milton, RK Das, E Merlo

    Deconstructing and reconstructing behaviour relevant to mental health disorders: The benefits of a psychological approach, with a focus on addiction.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.104514
    Journal: Neurosci Biobehav Rev
    E-pub date: 1 Feb 2022
    Authors: LG Rutherford, AL Milton

    Checking responses of goal- and sign-trackers are differentially affected by threat in a rodent analog of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/lm.050260.119
    Journal: Learn Mem
    E-pub date: 1 May 2020
    Authors: GH Vousden, S Paulcan, TW Robbins, DM Eagle, AL Milton

    Publications

    Making Leaps and Hitting Boundaries in Reconsolidation: Overcoming Boundary Conditions to Increase Clinical Translatability of Reconsolidation-based Therapies.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.03.013
    Journal: Neuroscience
    E-pub date: 21 May 2023
    Authors: UTD Bui, AL Milton

    Early-life stress biases responding to negative feedback and increases amygdala volume and vulnerability to later-life stress.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02385-7
    Journal: Transl Psychiatry
    E-pub date: 7 Mar 2023
    Authors: EG Dutcher, L Lopez-Cruz, EAC Pama, M-E Lynall, ICR Bevers, JA Jones, S Khan, SJ Sawiak, AL Milton, MR Clatworthy, TW Robbins, ET Bullmore, JW Dalley

    Sex-dependent effects of early life stress on reinforcement learning and limbic cortico-striatal functional connectivity.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100507
    Journal: Neurobiol Stress
    E-pub date: 1 Jan 2023
    Authors: K Zühlsdorff, L López-Cruz, EG Dutcher, JA Jones, C Pama, S Sawiak, S Khan, AL Milton, TW Robbins, ET Bullmore, JW Dalley

    Refinement of the stress-enhanced fear learning model of post-traumatic stress disorder: a behavioral and molecular analysis.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-022-01054-4
    Journal: Lab Anim (NY)
    E-pub date: 1 Nov 2022
    Authors: IA Van Assche, MS Padilla, OSRP Stupart, AL Milton

    Lack of Effect of Propranolol on the Reconsolidation of Conditioned Fear Memory due to a Failure to Engage Memory Destabilisation.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.11.008
    Journal: Neuroscience
    E-pub date: 1 Jan 2022
    Authors: F Rotondo, K Biddle, J Chen, J Ferencik, M d'Esneval, AL Milton

    Targeting drug memory reconsolidation: a neural analysis.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.coph.2020.08.007
    Journal: Curr Opin Pharmacol
    E-pub date: 1 Feb 2021
    Authors: U Taujanskaitė, EN Cahill, AL Milton

    Retrieval-Dependent Mechanisms Affecting Emotional Memory Persistence: Reconsolidation, Extinction, and the Space in Between.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.574358
    Journal: Front Behav Neurosci
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2020
    Authors: Z Vaverková, AL Milton, E Merlo