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de Gelder B, Poyo Solanas M. A computational neuroethology perspective on body and expression perception. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:744-756. [PMID: 34147363 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Survival prompts organisms to prepare adaptive behavior in response to environmental and social threat. However, what are the specific features of the appearance of a conspecific that trigger such adaptive behaviors? For social species, the prime candidates for triggering defense systems are the visual features of the face and the body. We propose a novel approach for studying the ability of the brain to gather survival-relevant information from seeing conspecific body features. Specifically, we propose that behaviorally relevant information from bodies and body expressions is coded at the levels of midlevel features in the brain. These levels are relatively independent from higher-order cognitive and conscious perception of bodies and emotions. Instead, our approach is embedded in an ethological framework and mobilizes computational models for feature discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice de Gelder
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Limburg 6200, MD, The Netherlands; Department of Computer Science, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Marta Poyo Solanas
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Limburg 6200, MD, The Netherlands
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52
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Ko MJ, Chiang T, Mukadam AA, Mulia GE, Gutridge AM, Lin A, Chester JA, van Rijn RM. β-Arrestin-dependent ERK signaling reduces anxiety-like and conditioned fear-related behaviors in mice. Sci Signal 2021; 14:14/694/eaba0245. [PMID: 34344831 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aba0245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are implicated in the regulation of fear and anxiety. GPCR signaling involves canonical G protein pathways but can also engage downstream kinases and effectors through scaffolding interactions mediated by β-arrestin. Here, we investigated whether β-arrestin signaling regulates anxiety-like and fear-related behavior in mice in response to activation of the GPCR δ-opioid receptor (δOR or DOR). Administration of β-arrestin-biased δOR agonists to male C57BL/6 mice revealed β-arrestin 2-dependent activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) in the dorsal hippocampus and amygdala and β-arrestin 1-dependent activation of ERK1/2 in the nucleus accumbens. In mice, β-arrestin-biased agonist treatment was associated with reduced anxiety-like and fear-related behaviors, with some overlapping and isoform-specific input. In contrast, applying a G protein-biased δOR agonist decreased ERK1/2 activity in all three regions as well as the dorsal striatum and was associated with increased fear-related behavior without effects on baseline anxiety. Our results indicate a complex picture of δOR neuromodulation in which β-arrestin 1- and 2-dependent ERK signaling in specific brain subregions suppresses behaviors associated with anxiety and fear and opposes the effects of G protein-biased signaling. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of noncanonical β-arrestin-dependent GPCR signaling in the regulation of these interrelated emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mee Jung Ko
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.,Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.,Purdue Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Terrance Chiang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Arbaaz A Mukadam
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.,Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Grace E Mulia
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.,Purdue Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Anna M Gutridge
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.,Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Angel Lin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Julia A Chester
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.,Purdue Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.,Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Richard M van Rijn
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. .,Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.,Purdue Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.,Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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53
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Zych AD, Gogolla N. Expressions of emotions across species. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 68:57-66. [PMID: 33548631 PMCID: PMC8259711 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
What are emotions and how should we study them? These questions give rise to ongoing controversy amongst scientists in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and philosophy, and have resulted in different views on emotions [1-6]. In this review, we define emotions as functional states that bear essential roles in promoting survival and thus have emerged through evolution. Emotions trigger behavioral, somatic, hormonal, and neurochemical reactions, referred to as expressions of emotion. We discuss recent studies on emotion expression across species and highlight emerging common principles. We argue that detailed and multidimensional analyses of emotion expressions are key to develop biology-based definitions of emotions and to reveal their neuronal underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna D Zych
- Circuits for Emotion Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany; International Max-Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Nadine Gogolla
- Circuits for Emotion Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany.
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54
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Francesconi W, Berton F, Olivera-Pasilio V, Dabrowska J. Oxytocin excites BNST interneurons and inhibits BNST output neurons to the central amygdala. Neuropharmacology 2021; 192:108601. [PMID: 33971215 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The dorsolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTDL) has high expression of oxytocin (OT) receptors (OTR), which were shown to facilitate cued fear. However, the role of OTR in the modulation of BNSTDL activity remains elusive. BNSTDL contains GABA-ergic neurons classified based on intrinsic membrane properties into three types. Using in vitro patch-clamp recordings in male rats, we demonstrate that OT selectively excites and increases spontaneous firing rate of Type I BNSTDL neurons. As a consequence, OT increases the frequency, but not amplitude, of spontaneous inhibitory post-synaptic currents (sIPSCs) selectively in Type II neurons, an effect abolished by OTR antagonist or tetrodotoxin, and reduces spontaneous firing rate in these neurons. These results suggest an indirect effect of OT in Type II neurons, which is mediated via OT-induced increase in firing of Type I interneurons. As Type II BNSTDL neurons were shown projecting to the central amygdala (CeA), we also recorded from retrogradely labeled BNST→CeA neurons and we show that OT increases the frequency of sIPSC in these Type II BNST→CeA output neurons. In contrast, in Type III neurons, OT reduces the amplitude, but not frequency, of both sIPSCs and evoked IPSCs via a postsynaptic mechanism without changing their intrinsic excitability. We present a model of fine-tuned modulation of BNSTDL activity by OT, which selectively excites BNSTDL interneurons and inhibits Type II BNST→CeA output neurons. These results suggest that OTR in the BNST might facilitate cued fear by inhibiting the BNST→CeA neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Francesconi
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA; Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
| | - Fulvia Berton
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA; Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
| | - Valentina Olivera-Pasilio
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA; Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA; School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA; Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA; School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA.
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55
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van Heukelum S, Tulva K, Geers FE, van Dulm S, Ruisch IH, Mill J, Viana JF, Beckmann CF, Buitelaar JK, Poelmans G, Glennon JC, Vogt BA, Havenith MN, França ASC. A central role for anterior cingulate cortex in the control of pathological aggression. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2321-2333.e5. [PMID: 33857429 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Controlling aggression is a crucial skill in social species like rodents and humans and has been associated with anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Here, we directly link the failed regulation of aggression in BALB/cJ mice to ACC hypofunction. We first show that ACC in BALB/cJ mice is structurally degraded: neuron density is decreased, with pervasive neuron death and reactive astroglia. Gene-set enrichment analysis suggested that this process is driven by neuronal degeneration, which then triggers toxic astrogliosis. cFos expression across ACC indicated functional consequences: during aggressive encounters, ACC was engaged in control mice, but not BALB/cJ mice. Chemogenetically activating ACC during aggressive encounters drastically suppressed pathological aggression but left species-typical aggression intact. The network effects of our chemogenetic perturbation suggest that this behavioral rescue is mediated by suppression of amygdala and hypothalamus and activation of mediodorsal thalamus. Together, these findings highlight the central role of ACC in curbing pathological aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina van Heukelum
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Kerli Tulva
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Femke E Geers
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Sanne van Dulm
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - I Hyun Ruisch
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jonathan Mill
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Joana F Viana
- The Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Christian F Beckmann
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Geert Poelmans
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Brent A Vogt
- Cingulum Neurosciences Institute, Manlius, NY, USA; Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Martha N Havenith
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Zero-Noise Lab, Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience, 60528 Frankfurt a.M., Germany
| | - Arthur S C França
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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56
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Distinct circuits in rat central amygdala for defensive behaviors evoked by socially signaled imminent versus remote danger. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2347-2358.e6. [PMID: 33848461 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Animals display a rich repertoire of defensive responses adequate to the threat proximity. In social species, these reactions can be additionally influenced by the behavior of fearful conspecifics. However, the majority of neuroscientific studies on socially triggered defensive responses focuses on one type of behavior, freezing. To study a broader range of socially triggered reactions and underlying mechanisms, we directly compared two experimental paradigms, mimicking occurrence of the imminent versus remote threat. Observation of a partner currently experiencing aversive stimulation evokes passive defensive responses in the observer rats. Similar interaction with a partner that has just undergone the aversive stimulation prompts animals to increase active exploration. Although the observers display behaviors similar to those of the aversively stimulated demonstrators, their reactions are not synchronized in time, suggesting that observers' responses are caused by the change in their affective state rather than mimicry. Using opsins targeted to behaviorally activated neurons, we tagged central amygdala (CeA) cells implicated in observers' responses to either imminent or remote threat and reactivated them during the exploration of a novel environment. The manipulation revealed that the two populations of CeA cells promote passive or active defensive responses, respectively. Further experiments confirmed that the two populations of cells at least partially differ in expression of molecular markers (protein kinase C-δ [PKC-δ] and corticotropin-releasing factor [CRF]) and connectivity patterns (receiving input from the basolateral amygdala or from the anterior insula). The results are consistent with the literature on single subjects' fear conditioning, suggesting that similar neuronal circuits control defensive responses in social and non-social contexts.
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57
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Bouton ME, Maren S, McNally GP. BEHAVIORAL AND NEUROBIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF PAVLOVIAN AND INSTRUMENTAL EXTINCTION LEARNING. Physiol Rev 2021; 101:611-681. [PMID: 32970967 PMCID: PMC8428921 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00016.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This article reviews the behavioral neuroscience of extinction, the phenomenon in which a behavior that has been acquired through Pavlovian or instrumental (operant) learning decreases in strength when the outcome that reinforced it is removed. Behavioral research indicates that neither Pavlovian nor operant extinction depends substantially on erasure of the original learning but instead depends on new inhibitory learning that is primarily expressed in the context in which it is learned, as exemplified by the renewal effect. Although the nature of the inhibition may differ in Pavlovian and operant extinction, in either case the decline in responding may depend on both generalization decrement and the correction of prediction error. At the neural level, Pavlovian extinction requires a tripartite neural circuit involving the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. Synaptic plasticity in the amygdala is essential for extinction learning, and prefrontal cortical inhibition of amygdala neurons encoding fear memories is involved in extinction retrieval. Hippocampal-prefrontal circuits mediate fear relapse phenomena, including renewal. Instrumental extinction involves distinct ensembles in corticostriatal, striatopallidal, and striatohypothalamic circuits as well as their thalamic returns for inhibitory (extinction) and excitatory (renewal and other relapse phenomena) control over operant responding. The field has made significant progress in recent decades, although a fully integrated biobehavioral understanding still awaits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Bouton
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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58
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A Signaled Locomotor Avoidance Action Is Fully Represented in the Neural Activity of the Midbrain Tegmentum. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4262-4275. [PMID: 33789917 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0027-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals, including humans, readily learn to avoid harmful and threatening situations by moving in response to cues that predict the threat (e.g., fire alarm, traffic light). During a negatively reinforced sensory-guided locomotor action, known as signaled active avoidance, animals learn to avoid a harmful unconditioned stimulus (US) by moving away when signaled by a harmless conditioned stimulus (CS) that predicts the threat. CaMKII-expressing neurons in the pedunculopontine tegmentum area (PPT) of the midbrain locomotor region have been shown to play a critical role in the expression of this learned behavior, but the activity of these neurons during learned behavior is unknown. Using calcium imaging fiber photometry in freely behaving mice, we show that PPT neurons sharply activate during presentation of the auditory CS that predicts the threat before onset of avoidance movement. PPT neurons activate further during the succeeding CS-driven avoidance movement, or during the faster US-driven escape movement. PPT neuron activation was weak during slow spontaneous movements but correlated sharply with movement speed and, therefore, with the urgency of the behavior. Moreover, using optogenetics, we found that these neurons must discharge during the signaled avoidance interval for naive mice to effectively learn the active avoidance behavior. As an essential hub for signaled active avoidance, neurons in the midbrain tegmentum process the conditioned cue that predicts the threat and discharge sharply relative to the speed or apparent urgency of the avoidance (learned) and escape (innate) responses.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT During signaled active avoidance behavior, subjects move away to avoid a threat when directed by an innocuous sensory stimulus. Using imaging methods in freely behaving mice, we found that the activity of neurons in a part of the midbrain, known as the pedunculopontime tegmentum, increases during the presentation of the innocuous sensory stimulus that predicts the threat and also during the expression of the learned behavior as mice move away to avoid the threat. In addition, inhibiting these neurons abolishes the ability of mice to learn the behavior. Thus, neurons in this part of the midbrain code and are essential for signaled active avoidance behavior.
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Limbic Neuropeptidergic Modulators of Emotion and Their Therapeutic Potential for Anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. J Neurosci 2021; 41:901-910. [PMID: 33472824 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1647-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by hypervigilance, increased reactivity to unpredictable versus predictable threat signals, deficits in fear extinction, and an inability to discriminate between threat and safety. First-line pharmacotherapies for psychiatric disorders have limited therapeutic efficacy in PTSD. However, recent studies have advanced our understanding of the roles of several limbic neuropeptides in the regulation of defensive behaviors and in the neural processes that are disrupted in PTSD. For example, preclinical studies have shown that blockers of tachykinin pathways, such as the Tac2 pathway, attenuate fear memory consolidation in mice and thus might have unique potential as early post-trauma interventions to prevent PTSD development. Targeting this pathway might also be beneficial in regulating other symptoms of PTSD, including trauma-induced aggressive behavior. In addition, preclinical and clinical studies have shown the important role of angiotensin receptors in fear extinction and the promise of using angiotensin II receptor blockade to reduce PTSD symptom severity. Additional preclinical studies have demonstrated that the oxytocin receptors foster accurate fear discrimination by facilitating fear responses to predictable versus unpredictable threats. Complementary human imaging studies demonstrate unique neural targets of intranasal oxytocin and compare its efficacy with well-established anxiolytic treatments. Finally, promising data from human subjects have demonstrated that a selective vasopressin 1A receptor antagonist reduces anxiety induced by unpredictable threats. This review highlights these novel promising targets for the treatment of unique core elements of PTSD pathophysiology.
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60
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Hulsman AM, Terburg D, Roelofs K, Klumpers F. Roles of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and amygdala in fear reactions. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2021; 179:419-432. [PMID: 34225979 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-819975-6.00027-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) plays a critical modulatory role in driving fear responses. Part of the so-called extended amygdala, this region shares many functions and connections with the substantially more investigated amygdala proper. In this chapter, we review contributions of the BNST and amygdala to subjective, behavioral, and physiological aspects of fear. Despite the fact that both regions are together involved in each of these aspects of fear, they appear complimentary in their contributions. Specifically, the basolateral amygdala (BLA), through its connections to sensory and orbitofrontal regions, is ideally poised for fast learning and controlling fear reactions in a variety of situations. The central amygdala (CeA) relies on BLA input and is particularly important for adjusting physiological and behavioral responses under acute threat. In contrast, the BNST may profit from more extensive striatal and dorsomedial prefrontal connections to drive anticipatory responses under more ambiguous conditions that allow more time for planning. Thus current evidence suggests that the BNST is ideally suited to play a critical role responding to distant or ambiguous threats and could thereby facilitate goal-directed defensive action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneloes M Hulsman
- Experimental Psychopathology & Treatment, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Affective Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - David Terburg
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Experimental Psychopathology & Treatment, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Affective Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Floris Klumpers
- Experimental Psychopathology & Treatment, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Affective Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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61
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Glutamatergic lateral hypothalamus promotes defensive behaviors. Neuropharmacology 2020; 178:108239. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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62
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Botta P, Fushiki A, Vicente AM, Hammond LA, Mosberger AC, Gerfen CR, Peterka D, Costa RM. An Amygdala Circuit Mediates Experience-Dependent Momentary Arrests during Exploration. Cell 2020; 183:605-619.e22. [PMID: 33031743 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Exploration of novel environments ensures survival and evolutionary fitness. It is expressed through exploratory bouts and arrests that change dynamically based on experience. Neural circuits mediating exploratory behavior should therefore integrate experience and use it to select the proper behavioral output. Using a spatial exploration assay, we uncovered an experience-dependent increase in momentary arrests in locations where animals arrested previously. Calcium imaging in freely exploring mice revealed a genetically and projection-defined neuronal ensemble in the basolateral amygdala that is active during self-paced behavioral arrests. This ensemble was recruited in an experience-dependent manner, and closed-loop optogenetic manipulation of these neurons revealed that they are sufficient and necessary to drive experience-dependent arrests during exploration. Projection-specific imaging and optogenetic experiments revealed that these arrests are effected by basolateral amygdala neurons projecting to the central amygdala, uncovering an amygdala circuit that mediates momentary arrests in familiar places but not avoidance or anxiety/fear-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Botta
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Akira Fushiki
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Ana Mafalda Vicente
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Luke A Hammond
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Alice C Mosberger
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | | | - Darcy Peterka
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Rui M Costa
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Champalimaud Neuroscience Program, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal.
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63
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Olivera-Pasilio V, Dabrowska J. Oxytocin Promotes Accurate Fear Discrimination and Adaptive Defensive Behaviors. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:583878. [PMID: 33071751 PMCID: PMC7538630 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.583878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The nonapeptide, oxytocin (OT), known for its role in social bonding and attachment formation, has demonstrated anxiolytic properties in animal models and human studies. However, its role in the regulation of fear responses appears more complex, brain site-specific, sex-specific, and dependent on a prior stress history. Studies have shown that OT neurons in the hypothalamus are activated during cued and contextual fear conditioning and during fear recall, highlighting the recruitment of endogenous oxytocin system in fear learning. OT is released into the extended amygdala, which contains the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), both critical for the regulation of fear and anxiety-like behaviors. Behavioral studies report that OT in the CeA reduces contextual fear responses; whereas in the BNST, OT receptor (OTR) neurotransmission facilitates cued fear and reduces fear responses to un-signaled, diffuse threats. These ostensibly contrasting behavioral effects support growing evidence that OT works to promote fear discrimination by reducing contextual fear or fear of diffuse threats, yet strengthening fear responses to imminent and predictable threats. Recent studies from the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) support this notion and show that activation of OTR in the BLA facilitates fear discrimination by increasing fear responses to discrete cues. Also, OTR transmission in the CeA has been shown to mediate a switch from passive freezing to active escape behaviors in confrontation with an imminent, yet escapable threat but reduce reactivity to distant threats. Therefore, OT appears to increase the salience of relevant threat-signaling cues yet reduce fear responses to un-signaled, distant, or diffuse threats. Lastly, OTR signaling has been shown to underlie emotional discrimination between conspecifics during time of distress, social transmission of fear, and social buffering of fear. As OT has been shown to enhance salience of both positive and negative social experiences, it can also serve as a warning system against potential threats in social networks. Here, we extend the social salience hypothesis by proposing that OT enhances the salience of relevant environmental cues also in non-social contexts, and as such promotes active defensive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Olivera-Pasilio
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States.,Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States.,School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States.,Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States.,School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
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64
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Koropouli E, Melanitis N, Dimitriou VI, Grigoriou A, Karavasilis E, Nikita KS, Tzavellas E, Paparrigopoulos T. New-Onset Psychosis Associated With a Lesion Localized in the Rostral Tectum: Insights Into Pathway-Specific Connectivity Disrupted in Psychosis. Schizophr Bull 2020; 46:1296-1305. [PMID: 32103274 PMCID: PMC7505199 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate pathway-specific connectivity disrupted in psychosis. METHODS We carried out a case study of a middle-aged patient who presented with new-onset psychosis associated with a space-occupying lesion localized in the right superior colliculus/periaqueductal gray. The study sought to investigate potential connectivity deficits related to the lesion by the use of diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. To this aim, we generated a functional connectivity map of the patient's brain, centered on the lesion area, and compared this map with the corresponding map of 10 sex- and age-matched control individuals identified from the Max Planck Institute-Leipzig Mind-Brain-Body database. RESULTS Our analysis revealed a discrete area in the right rostral tectum, in the immediate vicinity of the lesion, whose activity is inversely correlated with the activity of left amygdala, whereas left amygdala is functionally associated with select areas of the temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes. Based on a comparative analysis of the patient with 10 control individuals, the lesion has impacted on the connectivity of rostral tectum (superior colliculus/periaqueductal gray) with left amygdala as well as on the connectivity of left amygdala with subcortical and cortical areas. CONCLUSIONS The superior colliculus/periaqueductal gray might play important roles in the initiation and perpetuation of psychosis, at least partially through dysregulation of left amygdala activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleftheria Koropouli
- First Department of Psychiatry, Aiginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
- First Department of Neurology, Aiginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikos Melanitis
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Vasileios I Dimitriou
- First Department of Psychiatry, Aiginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - Asimina Grigoriou
- First Department of Psychiatry, Aiginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - Efstratios Karavasilis
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantina S Nikita
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Elias Tzavellas
- First Department of Psychiatry, Aiginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - Thomas Paparrigopoulos
- First Department of Psychiatry, Aiginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
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65
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López-Ferreras L, Eerola K, Shevchouk OT, Richard JE, Nilsson FH, Jansson LE, Hayes MR, Skibicka KP. The supramammillary nucleus controls anxiety-like behavior; key role of GLP-1R. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 119:104720. [PMID: 32563174 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent categories of mental illnesses. The gut-brain axis, along with gastrointestinally-derived neuropeptides, like glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), are emerging as potential key regulators of emotionality, including anxiety behavior. However, the neuroanatomical substrates from which GLP-1 exerts its anxiogenic effect remain poorly characterized. Here we focus on a relatively new candidate nucleus, the supramammillary nucleus (SuM), located just caudal to the lateral hypothalamus and ventral to the ventral tegmental area. Our focus on the SuM is supported by previous data showing expression of GLP-1R mRNA throughout the SuM and activation of the SuM during anxiety-inducing behaviors in rodents. Data show that chemogenetic activation of neurons in the SuM results in an anxiolytic response in male and female rats. In contrast, selective activation of SuM GLP-1R, by microinjection of a GLP-1R agonist exendin-4 into the SuM resulted in potent anxiety-like behavior, measured in both open field and elevated plus maze tests in male and female rats. This anxiogenic effect of GLP-1R activation persisted after high-fat diet exposure. Importantly, reduction of GLP-1R expression in the SuM, by AAV-shRNA GLP-1R knockdown, resulted in a clear anxiolytic response; an effect only observed in female rats. Our data identify a new neural substrate for GLP-1 control of anxiety-like behavior and indicate that the SuM GLP-1R are sufficient for anxiogenesis in both sexes, but necessary only in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- L López-Ferreras
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - K Eerola
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Research Centre of Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Finland
| | - O T Shevchouk
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - J E Richard
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - F H Nilsson
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - L E Jansson
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - M R Hayes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - K P Skibicka
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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66
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Vieira JB, Schellhaas S, Enström E, Olsson A. Help or flight? Increased threat imminence promotes defensive helping in humans. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201473. [PMID: 32842931 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In humans and other mammals, defensive responses to danger vary with threat imminence, but it is unknown how those responses affect decisions to help conspecifics. Here, we manipulated threat imminence to investigate the impact of different defensive states on human helping behaviour. Ninety-eight healthy adult participants made trial-by-trial decisions about whether to help a co-participant avoid an aversive shock, at the risk of receiving a shock themselves. Helping decisions were prompted under imminent or distal threat, based on temporal distance to the moment of shock administration to the co-participant. Results showed that, regardless of how likely participants were to also receive a shock, they helped the co-participant more under imminent than distal threat. Reaction times and cardiac changes during the task supported the efficacy of the threat imminence manipulation in eliciting dissociable defensive states, with faster responses and increased heart rate during imminent compared to distal threats. Individual differences in empathic concern were specifically correlated with helping during imminent threats. These results suggest that defensive states driving active escape from immediate danger may also facilitate decisions to help others, potentially by engaging neurocognitive systems implicated in caregiving across mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana B Vieira
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Sabine Schellhaas
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Erik Enström
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
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67
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Laughlin LC, Moloney DM, Samels SB, Sears RM, Cain CK. Reducing shock imminence eliminates poor avoidance in rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 27:270-274. [PMID: 32540916 PMCID: PMC7301752 DOI: 10.1101/lm.051557.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In signaled active avoidance (SigAA), rats learn to suppress Pavlovian freezing and emit actions to remove threats and prevent footshocks. SigAA is critical for understanding aversively motivated instrumental behavior and anxiety-related active coping. However, with standard protocols ∼25% of rats exhibit high freezing and poor avoidance. This has dampened enthusiasm for the paradigm and stalled progress. We demonstrate that reducing shock imminence with long-duration warning signals leads to greater freezing suppression and perfect avoidance in all subjects. This suggests that instrumental SigAA mechanisms evolved to cope with distant harm and protocols that promote inflexible Pavlovian reactions are poorly designed to study avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay C Laughlin
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Emotional Brain Institute, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
| | - Danielle M Moloney
- NYU School of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York, New York 10016, USA.,Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Emotional Brain Institute, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
| | - Shanna B Samels
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Emotional Brain Institute, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
| | - Robert M Sears
- NYU School of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York, New York 10016, USA.,Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Emotional Brain Institute, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
| | - Christopher K Cain
- NYU School of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York, New York 10016, USA.,Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Emotional Brain Institute, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
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68
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van den Burg EH, Hegoburu C. Modulation of expression of fear by oxytocin signaling in the central amygdala: From reduction of fear to regulation of defensive behavior style. Neuropharmacology 2020; 173:108130. [PMID: 32389750 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Many studies in preclinical animal models have described fear-reducing effects of the neuropeptide oxytocin in the central nucleus of the amygdala. However, recent studies have refined the role of oxytocin in the central amygdala, which may extend to the selection of an active defensive coping style in the face of immediate threat, and also fear-enhancing effects have been reported. On top of this, oxytocin enables the discrimination of unfamiliar conspecifics on the basis of their emotional state, which could allow for the selection of an appropriate coping style. This is in line with many observations that support the hypothesis that the precise outcome of oxytocin signaling in the central amygdala or other brain regions depends on the emotional or physiological state of an animal. In this review, we highlight a number of studies to exemplify the diverse effects oxytocin exerts on fear in the central amygdala of rodents. These are discussed in the context of the organization of the neural network within the central amygdala and in relation to the oxytocin-synthesizing neurons in the hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erwin H van den Burg
- Center for Psychiatric Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital Center (CHUV), Prilly, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Chloé Hegoburu
- Center for Psychiatric Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital Center (CHUV), Prilly, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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69
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Brehl AK, Kohn N, Schene AH, Fernández G. A mechanistic model for individualised treatment of anxiety disorders based on predictive neural biomarkers. Psychol Med 2020; 50:727-736. [PMID: 32204741 PMCID: PMC7168651 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720000410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Increased amygdala responsiveness is the hallmark of fear and a characteristic across patients with anxiety disorders. The amygdala is embedded in a complex regulatory circuit. Multiple different mechanisms may elevate amygdala responsiveness and lead to the occurrence of an anxiety disorder. While top-down control by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) downregulates amygdala responses, the locus coeruleus (LC) drives up amygdala activation via noradrenergic projections. This indicates that the same fearful phenotype may result from different neural mechanisms. We propose a mechanistic model that defines three different neural biomarkers causing amygdala hyper-responsiveness in patients with anxiety disorders: (a) inherent amygdala hypersensitivity, (b) low prefrontal control and (c) high LC drive. First-line treatment for anxiety disorders is exposure-based cognitive behavioural therapy, which strengthens PFC recruitment during emotion regulation and thus targets low-prefrontal control. A treatment response rate around 50% (Loerinc et al., 2015, Clinical Psychological Reviews, 42, 72-82) might indicate heterogeneity of underlying neurobiological mechanisms among patients, presumably leading to high variation in treatment benefit. Transforming insights from cognitive neuroscience into applicable clinical heuristics to categorise patients based on their underlying biomarker may support individualised treatment selection in psychiatry. We review literature on the three anxiety-related mechanisms and present a mechanistic model that may serve as a rational for pathology-based diagnostic and biomarker-guided treatment selection in psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Kathrin Brehl
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nils Kohn
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Guillen Fernández
- Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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70
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Beyeler A, Dabrowska J. Neuronal diversity of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 26:63-100. [PMID: 32792868 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-815134-1.00003-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Beyeler
- Neurocentre Magendie, French National Institutes of Health (INSERM) unit 1215, Neurocampus of Bordeaux University, Bordeaux, France
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
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71
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Olsson A, Knapska E, Lindström B. The neural and computational systems of social learning. Nat Rev Neurosci 2020; 21:197-212. [PMID: 32221497 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-020-0276-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Learning the value of stimuli and actions from others - social learning - adaptively contributes to individual survival and plays a key role in cultural evolution. We review research across species targeting the neural and computational systems of social learning in both the aversive and appetitive domains. Social learning generally follows the same principles as self-experienced value-based learning, including computations of prediction errors and is implemented in brain circuits activated across task domains together with regions processing social information. We integrate neural and computational perspectives of social learning with an understanding of behaviour of varying complexity, from basic threat avoidance to complex social learning strategies and cultural phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Laboratory of Emotions' Neurobiology, Centre of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders (BRAINCITY), Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Björn Lindström
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.,Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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72
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Wong JJ, Chang DHF, Qi D, Men W, Gao JH, Lee TMC. The pontine-driven somatic gaze tract contributes to affective processing in humans. Neuroimage 2020; 213:116692. [PMID: 32135263 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The relevance of subcortical structures for affective processing is not fully understood. Inspired by the gerbil retino-raphe pathway that has been shown to regulate affective behavior and previous human work showing that the pontine region is important for processing emotion, we asked whether well-established tracts in humans traveling between the eye and the brain stem contribute to functions beyond their conventionally understood roles. Here we report neuroimaging findings showing that optic chiasm-brain stem diffusivity predict responses reflecting perceived arousal and valence. Analyses of subsequent task-evoked connectivity further revealed that visual affective processing implicates the brain stem, particularly the pontine region at an early stage of the cascade, projecting to cortico-limbic regions in a feedforward manner. The optimal model implies that all intrinsic connections between the regions of interest are unidirectional and outwards from the pontine region. These findings suggest that affective processing implicates regions outside the cortico-limbic network. The involvement of a phylogenetically older locus in the pons that has consequences in oculomotor control may imply adaptive consequences of affect detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Jun Wong
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Laboratory of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Dorita H F Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Di Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Laboratory of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Weiwei Men
- Center for MRI Research, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jia-Hong Gao
- Center for MRI Research and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Tatia M C Lee
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Laboratory of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Institute of Clinical Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China.
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73
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Removing a single neuron in a vertebrate brain forever abolishes an essential behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:3254-3260. [PMID: 32001507 PMCID: PMC7022180 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1918578117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Mauthner cell is the largest neuron known in the vertebrate brain and, in fish, mediates rapid escape behavior. Ablating this neuron has repeatedly failed to eliminate rapid escapes, a survival role of these escapes has not been supported experimentally, and it is unknown which advantage the enormous size and complexity of the cell conveys. By taking care to ensure ablations remove not only the soma but also the giant axon, we find that rapid escapes are lost forever and that this loss directly affects survival in predator–prey assays. The Mauthner cell thus is an example in which a survival-critical function depends on an individual neuron whose axon appears to have unusual capacities to remain functional after severe injury. The giant Mauthner (M) cell is the largest neuron known in the vertebrate brain. It has enabled major breakthroughs in neuroscience but its ultimate function remains surprisingly unclear: An actual survival value of M cell-mediated escapes has never been supported experimentally and ablating the cell repeatedly failed to eliminate all rapid escapes, suggesting that escapes can equally well be driven by smaller neurons. Here we applied techniques to simultaneously measure escape performance and the state of the giant M axon over an extended period following ablation of its soma. We discovered that the axon survives remarkably long and remains still fully capable of driving rapid escape behavior. By unilaterally removing one of the two M axons and comparing escapes in the same individual that could or could not recruit an M axon, we show that the giant M axon is essential for rapid escapes and that its loss means that rapid escapes are also lost forever. This allowed us to directly test the survival value of the M cell-mediated escapes and to show that the absence of this giant neuron directly affects survival in encounters with a natural predator. These findings not only offer a surprising solution to an old puzzle but demonstrate that even complex brains can trust vital functions to individual neurons. Our findings suggest that mechanisms must have evolved in parallel with the unique significance of these neurons to keep their axons alive and connected.
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74
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Kroes MCW, Dunsmoor JE, Hakimi M, Oosterwaal S, Meager MR, Phelps EA. Patients with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex lesions are capable of discriminatory threat learning but appear impaired in cognitive regulation of subjective fear. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:601-612. [PMID: 31119295 PMCID: PMC6688449 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are able to cognitively regulate emotions by changing their thoughts. Neuroimaging studies show correlations between dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) activity and cognitive regulation of emotions. Here our objective was to investigate whether dlPFC damage is associated with impaired cognitive regulation of emotion. We therefore tested the ability of patients with dlPFC lesions (N = 6) and matched control participants (N = 19) to utilize a laboratory version of cognitive regulation training (CRT) to regulate subjective fear and autonomic threat responses following Pavlovian threat conditioning. We found that patients with dlPFC lesions were able to acquire conditioned threat but seemed impaired in their ability to utilize CRT to cognitively regulate subjective fear to a threatening stimulus. Despite inclusion of a limited number of lesion patients, our results suggest that the dlPFC is important for the cognitive regulation of subjective fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijn C W Kroes
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Mathew Hakimi
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Sofie Oosterwaal
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | | | - Michael R Meager
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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75
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Jurek B, Meyer M. Anxiolytic and Anxiogenic? How the Transcription Factor MEF2 Might Explain the Manifold Behavioral Effects of Oxytocin. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:186. [PMID: 32322239 PMCID: PMC7156634 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The neuromodulator oxytocin, since its first synthesis by du Vigneaud in 1953, has mainly been associated with beneficial physiological effects, as well as positive social and emotional behaviors. This overall positive picture of oxytocin as the "love-, cuddle-, or bonding-hormone" has repeatedly been challenged since then. Oxytocin-induced effects that would be perceived as negative by the individual, such as increased anxiety or potentiation of stress-induced ACTH release, as well as the regulation of negative approach-related emotions, such as envy and schadenfreude (gloating) have been described. The general consent is that oxytocin, instead of acting unidirectional, induces changes in the salience network to shift the emphasis of emotional contexts, and therefore can, e.g., produce both anxiolytic as well as anxiogenic behavioral outcomes. However, the underlying mechanisms leading to alterations in the salience network are still unclear. With the aim to understand the manifold effects of oxytocin on a cellular/molecular level, a set of oxytocin receptor-coupled signaling cascades and downstream effectors regulating transcription and translation has been identified. Those oxytocin-driven effectors, such as MEF2 and CREB, are known modulators of the neuronal and glial cytoarchitecture. We hypothesize that, by determining cellular morphology and connectivity, MEF2 is one of the key factors that might contribute to the diverse behavioral effects of oxytocin.
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Lefler Y, Campagner D, Branco T. The role of the periaqueductal gray in escape behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 60:115-121. [PMID: 31864105 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Escape behavior is a defensive action deployed by animals in response to imminent threats. In mammalian species, a variety of different brain circuits are known to participate in this crucial survival behavior. One of these circuits is the periaqueductal gray, a midbrain structure that can command a variety of instinctive behaviors. Recent experiments using modern systems neuroscience techniques have begun to elucidate the specific role of the periaqueductal gray in controlling escape. These have shown that periaqueductal gray neurons are crucial units for gating and commanding the initiation of escape, specifically activated in situations of imminent, escapable threat. In addition, it is becoming clear that the periaqueductal gray integrates brain-wide information that can modulate escape initiation to generate flexible defensive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaara Lefler
- UCL Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London W1T 4JG, UK
| | - Dario Campagner
- UCL Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London W1T 4JG, UK; UCL Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, London W1T 4JG, UK
| | - Tiago Branco
- UCL Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London W1T 4JG, UK.
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77
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Somatostatin interneurons in the prefrontal cortex control affective state discrimination in mice. Nat Neurosci 2019; 23:47-60. [PMID: 31844317 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0551-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is implicated in processing of the affective state of others through non-verbal communication. This social cognitive function is thought to rely on an intact cortical neuronal excitatory and inhibitory balance. Here combining in vivo electrophysiology with a behavioral task for affective state discrimination in mice, we show a differential activation of medial PFC (mPFC) neurons during social exploration that depends on the affective state of the conspecific. Optogenetic manipulations revealed a double dissociation between the role of interneurons in social cognition. Specifically, inhibition of mPFC somatostatin (SOM+), but not of parvalbumin (PV+) interneurons, abolishes affective state discrimination. Accordingly, synchronized activation of mPFC SOM+ interneurons selectively induces social discrimination. As visualized by in vivo single-cell microendoscopic Ca2+ imaging, an increased synchronous activity of mPFC SOM+ interneurons, guiding inhibition of pyramidal neurons, is associated with affective state discrimination. Our findings provide new insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of affective state discrimination.
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78
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Amygdala Nuclei Volume and Shape in Military Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2019; 5:281-290. [PMID: 32029420 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The amygdala is a subcortical structure involved in socioemotional and associative fear learning processes relevant for understanding the mechanisms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research in animals indicates that the amygdala is a heterogeneous structure in which the basolateral and centromedial divisions are susceptible to stress. While the amygdala complex is implicated in the pathophysiology of PTSD, little is known about the specific contributions of the individual nuclei that constitute the amygdala complex. METHODS Military veterans (n = 355), including military veterans with PTSD (n = 149) and trauma-exposed control subjects without PTSD (n = 206), underwent high-resolution T1-weighted anatomical scans. Automated FreeSurfer segmentation of the amygdala yielded 9 structures: basal, lateral, accessory basal, anterior amygdaloid, and central, medial, cortical, and paralaminar nuclei, along with the corticoamygdaloid transition zone. Subregional volumes were compared between groups using ordinary-least-squares regression with relevant demographic and clinical regressors followed by 3-dimensional shape analysis of whole amygdala. RESULTS PTSD was associated with smaller left and right lateral and paralaminar nuclei, but with larger left and right central, medial, and cortical nuclei (p < .05, false discovery rate corrected). Shape analyses revealed lower radial distance in anterior bilateral amygdala and lower Jacobian determinant in posterior bilateral amygdala in PTSD compared with control subjects. CONCLUSIONS Alterations in select amygdala subnuclear volumes and regional shape distortions are associated with PTSD in military veterans. Volume differences of the lateral nucleus and the centromedial complex associated with PTSD demonstrate a subregion-specific pattern that is consistent with their functional roles in fear learning and fear expression behaviors.
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79
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Burgos-Robles A, Gothard KM, Monfils MH, Morozov A, Vicentic A. Conserved features of anterior cingulate networks support observational learning across species. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:215-228. [PMID: 31509768 PMCID: PMC6875610 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to observe, interpret, and learn behaviors and emotions from conspecifics is crucial for survival, as it bypasses direct experience to avoid potential dangers and maximize rewards and benefits. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its extended neural connections are emerging as important networks for the detection, encoding, and interpretation of social signals during observational learning. Evidence from rodents and primates (including humans) suggests that the social interactions that occur while individuals are exposed to important information in their environment lead to transfer of information across individuals that promotes adaptive behaviors in the form of either social affiliation, alertness, or avoidance. In this review, we first showcase anatomical and functional connections of the ACC in primates and rodents that contribute to the perception of social signals. We then discuss species-specific cognitive and social functions of the ACC and differentiate between neural activity related to 'self' and 'other', extending into the difference between social signals received and processed by the self, versus observing social interactions among others. We next describe behavioral and neural events that contribute to social learning via observation. Finally, we discuss some of the neural mechanisms underlying observational learning within the ACC and its extended network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Burgos-Robles
- Department of Biology, Neuroscience Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Katalin M Gothard
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Marie H Monfils
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Alexei Morozov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Aleksandra Vicentic
- Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
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80
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Berger JM, Singh P, Khrimian L, Morgan DA, Chowdhury S, Arteaga-Solis E, Horvath TL, Domingos AI, Marsland AL, Yadav VK, Rahmouni K, Gao XB, Karsenty G. Mediation of the Acute Stress Response by the Skeleton. Cell Metab 2019; 30:890-902.e8. [PMID: 31523009 PMCID: PMC6834912 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2019.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We hypothesized that bone evolved, in part, to enhance the ability of bony vertebrates to escape danger in the wild. In support of this notion, we show here that a bone-derived signal is necessary to develop an acute stress response (ASR). Indeed, exposure to various types of stressors in mice, rats (rodents), and humans leads to a rapid and selective surge of circulating bioactive osteocalcin because stressors favor the uptake by osteoblasts of glutamate, which prevents inactivation of osteocalcin prior to its secretion. Osteocalcin permits manifestations of the ASR to unfold by signaling in post-synaptic parasympathetic neurons to inhibit their activity, thereby leaving the sympathetic tone unopposed. Like wild-type animals, adrenalectomized rodents and adrenal-insufficient patients can develop an ASR, and genetic studies suggest that this is due to their high circulating osteocalcin levels. We propose that osteocalcin defines a bony-vertebrate-specific endocrine mediation of the ASR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Meyer Berger
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Program in Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Parminder Singh
- Metabolic Research Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Lori Khrimian
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Donald A Morgan
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Iowa and Veteran Health Care System, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Subrata Chowdhury
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Emilio Arteaga-Solis
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Division of Pediatric Pulmonary, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Tamas L Horvath
- Program in Integrative Cell Signaling and Neurobiology of Metabolism, Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ana I Domingos
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Anna L Marsland
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Vijay Kumar Yadav
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Metabolic Research Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Kamal Rahmouni
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Iowa and Veteran Health Care System, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Xiao-Bing Gao
- Program in Integrative Cell Signaling and Neurobiology of Metabolism, Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Gerard Karsenty
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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81
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Rosenberger LA, Eisenegger C, Naef M, Terburg D, Fourie J, Stein DJ, van Honk J. The Human Basolateral Amygdala Is Indispensable for Social Experiential Learning. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3532-3537.e3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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82
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Disentangling Hippocampal and Amygdala Contribution to Human Anxiety-Like Behavior. J Neurosci 2019; 39:8517-8526. [PMID: 31501296 PMCID: PMC6807285 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0412-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Revised: 08/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety comprises a suite of behaviors to deal with potential threat and is often modeled in approach–avoidance conflict tasks. Collectively, these tests constitute a predominant preclinical model of anxiety disorder. A body of evidence suggests that both ventral hippocampus and amygdala lesions impair anxiety-like behavior, but the relative contribution of these two structures is unclear. A possible reason is that approach–avoidance conflict tasks involve a series of decisions and actions, which may be controlled by distinct neural mechanisms that are difficult to disentangle from behavioral readouts. Here, we capitalize on a human approach–avoidance conflict test, implemented as computer game, that separately measures several action components. We investigate three patients of both sexes with unspecific unilateral medial temporal lobe (MTL) damage, one male with selective bilateral hippocampal (HC), and one female with selective bilateral amygdala lesions, and compare them to matched controls. MTL and selective HC lesions, but not selective amygdala lesions, increased approach decision when possible loss was high. In contrast, MTL and selective amygdala lesions, but not selective HC lesions, increased return latency. Additionally, selective HC and selective amygdala lesions reduced approach latency. In a task targeted at revealing subjective assumptions about the structure of the computer game, MTL and selective HC lesions impacted on reaction time generation but not on the subjective task structure. We conclude that deciding to approach reward under threat relies on hippocampus but not amygdala, whereas vigor of returning to safety depends on amygdala but not on hippocampus. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Approach–avoidance conflict tests are widely investigated in rodents, and increasingly in humans, to understand the neural basis of anxiety-like behavior. However, the contribution of the most relevant brain regions, ventral hippocampus and amygdala, is incompletely understood. We use a human computerized test that separates different action components and find that hippocampus, but not amygdala, lesions impair approach decisions, whereas amygdala, but not hippocampus, lesions impair the vigor of return to safety.
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83
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Michely J, Rigoli F, Rutledge RB, Hauser TU, Dolan RJ. Distinct Processing of Aversive Experience in Amygdala Subregions. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2019; 5:291-300. [PMID: 31542358 PMCID: PMC7059109 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Background The amygdala is an anatomically complex medial temporal brain structure whose subregions are considered to serve distinct functions. However, their precise role in mediating human aversive experience remains ill understood. Methods We used functional magnetic resonance imaging in 39 healthy volunteers with varying levels of trait anxiety to assess distinct contributions of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and centromedial amygdala to anticipation and experience of aversive events. Additionally, we examined the relationship between any identified functional subspecialization and measures of subjective reported aversion and trait anxiety. Results Our results show that the centromedial amygdala is responsive to aversive outcomes but insensitive to predictive aversive cues. In contrast, the BLA encodes an aversive prediction error that quantifies whether cues and outcomes are worse than expected. A neural representation within the BLA for distinct threat levels was mirrored in self-reported subjective anxiety across individuals. Furthermore, high trait-anxious individuals were characterized by indiscriminately heightened BLA activity in response to aversive cues, regardless of actual threat level. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that amygdala subregions are distinctly engaged in processing of aversive experience, with elevated and undifferentiated BLA responses to threat emerging as a potential neurobiological mediator of vulnerability to anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Michely
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Francesco Rigoli
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robb B Rutledge
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tobias U Hauser
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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84
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Velasco ER, Florido A, Milad MR, Andero R. Sex differences in fear extinction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 103:81-108. [PMID: 31129235 PMCID: PMC6692252 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite the exponential increase in fear research during the last years, few studies have included female subjects in their design. The need to include females arises from the knowledge gap of mechanistic processes underlying the behavioral and neural differences observed in fear extinction. Moreover, the exact contribution of sex and hormones in relation to learning and behavior is still largely unknown. Insights from this field could be beneficial as fear-related disorders are twice as prevalent in women compared to men. Here, we review an up-to-date summary of animal and human studies in adulthood that report sex differences in fear extinction from a structural and functional approach. Furthermore, we describe how these factors could contribute to the observed sex differences in fear extinction during normal and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- E R Velasco
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Florido
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - M R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
| | - R Andero
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain; CIBERSAM, Corporació Sanitaria Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Spain; Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
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85
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Corder G, Ahanonu B, Grewe BF, Wang D, Schnitzer MJ, Scherrer G. An amygdalar neural ensemble that encodes the unpleasantness of pain. Science 2019; 363:276-281. [PMID: 30655440 PMCID: PMC6450685 DOI: 10.1126/science.aap8586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Pain is an unpleasant experience. How the brain’s affective neural circuits attribute this aversive quality to nociceptive information remains unknown. By means of time-lapse in vivo calcium imaging and neural activity manipulation in freely behaving mice encountering noxious stimuli, we identified a distinct neural ensemble in the basolateral amygdala that encodes the negative affective valence of pain. Silencing this nociceptive ensemble alleviated pain affective-motivational behaviors without altering the detection of noxious stimuli, withdrawal reflexes, anxiety, or reward. Following peripheral nerve injury, innocuous stimuli activated this nociceptive ensemble to drive dysfunctional perceptual changes associated with neuropathic pain, including pain aversion to light touch (allodynia). These results identify the amygdalar representations of noxious stimuli that are functionally required for the negative affective qualities of acute and chronic pain perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Corder
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Biafra Ahanonu
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,CNC Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Benjamin F Grewe
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,CNC Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Dong Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Mark J Schnitzer
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,CNC Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Grégory Scherrer
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. .,Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,New York Stem Cell Foundation-Robertson Investigator, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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86
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Schultz J, Willems T, Gädeke M, Chakkour G, Franke A, Weber B, Hurlemann R. A human subcortical network underlying social avoidance revealed by risky economic choices. eLife 2019; 8:45249. [PMID: 31329098 PMCID: PMC6703852 DOI: 10.7554/elife.45249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions have a major impact on well-being. While many individuals actively seek social situations, others avoid them, at great cost to their private and professional life. The neural mechanisms underlying individual differences in social approach or avoidance tendencies are poorly understood. Here we estimated people’s subjective value of engaging in a social situation. In each trial, more or less socially anxious participants chose between an interaction with a human partner providing social feedback and a monetary amount. With increasing social anxiety, the subjective value of social engagement decreased; amygdala BOLD response during decision-making and when experiencing social feedback increased; ventral striatum BOLD response to positive social feedback decreased; and connectivity between these regions during decision-making increased. Amygdala response was negatively related to the subjective value of social engagement. These findings suggest a relation between trait social anxiety/social avoidance and activity in a subcortical network during social decision-making. Your relationships with the people around you – friends, family, colleagues – have a strong influence on your overall life happiness. Even so, many people struggle to engage with the people around them. Social interactions can be stressful and many people choose to avoid them, even at a cost. Being able to measure these tendencies experimentally is a first useful step for assessing social avoidance without relying on people’s, often biased, recollections of their actions and behaviours. But how can a tendency to avoid social situations be quantified? And what can an experiment to measure this tendency reveal about the neural underpinnings of social avoidance? Schultz et al. asked volunteers to play a social game. If they played, the volunteers had the chance to win three euros, but they could choose not to play and receive a fixed amount of money, which varied across trials between zero and three euros. This approach allowed Schultz et al. to quantify how much the volunteers valued playing the game. The game involved playing with other virtual human partners, who gave either positive or negative social feedback depending on the outcome of the game in the form of videos of facial expressions. In a non-social control experiment, a computer gave abstract feedback in the form of symbols. Schultz et al. found that the value people placed on playing the social game varied with their level of social anxiety (established using a standard questionnaire). The more anxious people attributed less value to engaging in the game. Neuroimaging experiments revealed that the activity and connectivity between the amygdala and ventral striatum, two parts of the brain involved in processing emotions and reward-related stimuli, varied according to people’s levels of social anxiety. Social interactions have a major impact on the quality of life of both healthy people and those with mental disorders. Developing new ways to measure and understand the differences in the brain linked to social traits could help to characterise certain conditions and document therapy progress. Methods to quantify social anxiety and avoidance are also in line with efforts to explore the neuroscience behind the full range of human behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Schultz
- Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Institute of Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Research, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Tom Willems
- Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Maria Gädeke
- Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ghada Chakkour
- Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Medical School, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexander Franke
- Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Medical School, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Bernd Weber
- Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Institute of Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Research, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Rene Hurlemann
- Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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87
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Koizumi R, Kiyokawa Y, Tanaka KD, Tanikawa T, Takeuchi Y. Novel objects elicit greater activation in the basolateral complex of the amygdala of wild rats compared with laboratory rats. J Vet Med Sci 2019; 81:1121-1128. [PMID: 31270283 PMCID: PMC6715923 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.19-0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Wild animals tend to avoid novel objects that do not elicit clear avoidance behaviors in
domesticated animals. We previously found that the basolateral complex of the amygdala
(BLA) and dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (dBNST) were larger in trapped wild
rats compared with laboratory rats. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that the BLA
and/or dBNST would be differentially activated when wild and laboratory rats showed
different avoidance behaviors towards novel objects. In this study, we placed novel
objects at one end of the home cage. We measured the time spent in that half of the cage
and expressed the data as a percentage of the time spent in that region with no object
placement. We found that this percentage was lower in the wild rats compared with the
laboratory rats. These behavioral differences were accompanied by increased Fos expression
in the BLA, but not in the dBNST, of the wild rats. These results suggest that wild rats
show greater BLA activation compared with laboratory rats in response to novel objects. We
also found increased Fos expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus,
ventral BNST, and ventromedial hypothalamus, but not in the central amygdala of wild rats.
Taken together, our data represent new information regarding differences in behavioral and
neural responses towards novel objects in wild vs. laboratory rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoko Koizumi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Yasushi Kiyokawa
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Kazuyuki D Tanaka
- Technical Research Laboratory, Ikari Shodoku Corporation, 1-12-3 Akanehama, Narashino-shi, Chiba 275-0024, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Tanikawa
- Technical Research Laboratory, Ikari Shodoku Corporation, 1-12-3 Akanehama, Narashino-shi, Chiba 275-0024, Japan
| | - Yukari Takeuchi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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88
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Zhou Z, Liu X, Chen S, Zhang Z, Liu Y, Montardy Q, Tang Y, Wei P, Liu N, Li L, Song R, Lai J, He X, Chen C, Bi G, Feng G, Xu F, Wang L. A VTA GABAergic Neural Circuit Mediates Visually Evoked Innate Defensive Responses. Neuron 2019; 103:473-488.e6. [PMID: 31202540 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Innate defensive responses are essential for animal survival and are conserved across species. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays important roles in learned appetitive and aversive behaviors, but whether it plays a role in mediating or modulating innate defensive responses is currently unknown. We report that VTAGABA+ neurons respond to a looming stimulus. Inhibition of VTAGABA+ neurons reduced looming-evoked defensive flight behavior, and photoactivation of these neurons resulted in defense-like flight behavior. Using viral tracing and electrophysiological recordings, we show that VTAGABA+ neurons receive direct excitatory inputs from the superior colliculus (SC). Furthermore, we show that glutamatergic SC-VTA projections synapse onto VTAGABA+ neurons that project to the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and that the CeA is involved in mediating the defensive behavior. Our findings demonstrate that aerial threat-related visual information is relayed to VTAGABA+ neurons mediating innate behavioral responses, suggesting a more general role of the VTA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Zhou
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xuemei Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shanping Chen
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhijian Zhang
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems and State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, CAS, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yuanming Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Quentin Montardy
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yongqiang Tang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Pengfei Wei
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Nan Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lei Li
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ru Song
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Juan Lai
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiaobin He
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems and State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, CAS, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Guoqiang Bi
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Guoping Feng
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Fuqiang Xu
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems and State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, CAS, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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89
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Ferretti V, Maltese F, Contarini G, Nigro M, Bonavia A, Huang H, Gigliucci V, Morelli G, Scheggia D, Managò F, Castellani G, Lefevre A, Cancedda L, Chini B, Grinevich V, Papaleo F. Oxytocin Signaling in the Central Amygdala Modulates Emotion Discrimination in Mice. Curr Biol 2019; 29:1938-1953.e6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.04.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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90
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Abstract
Nobel laureate Nikolaas Tinbergen provided clear criteria for declaring a neuroscience problem solved, criteria which despite the passage of more than 50 years and vastly expanded neuroscience tool kits remain applicable today. Tinbergen said for neuroscientists to claim that a behavior is understood, they must correspondingly understand its (i) development and its (ii) mechanisms and its (iii) function and its (iv) evolution. Now, all four of these domains represent hotbeds of current experimental work, each using arrays of new techniques which overlap only partly. Thus, as new methodologies come online, from single-nerve-cell RNA sequencing, for example, to smart FISH, large-scale calcium imaging from cortex and deep brain structures, computational ethology, and so on, one person, however smart, cannot master everything. Our response to the likely “fracturing” of neuroscience recognizes the value of ever larger consortia. This response suggests new kinds of problems for (i) funding and (ii) the fair distribution of credit, especially for younger scientists.
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91
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Hur J, Stockbridge MD, Fox AS, Shackman AJ. Dispositional negativity, cognition, and anxiety disorders: An integrative translational neuroscience framework. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2019; 247:375-436. [PMID: 31196442 PMCID: PMC6578598 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
When extreme, anxiety can become debilitating. Anxiety disorders, which often first emerge early in development, are common and challenging to treat, yet the underlying mechanisms have only recently begun to come into focus. Here, we review new insights into the nature and biological bases of dispositional negativity, a fundamental dimension of childhood temperament and adult personality and a prominent risk factor for the development of pediatric and adult anxiety disorders. Converging lines of epidemiological, neurobiological, and mechanistic evidence suggest that dispositional negativity increases the likelihood of psychopathology via specific neurocognitive mechanisms, including attentional biases to threat and deficits in executive control. Collectively, these observations provide an integrative translational framework for understanding the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders in adults and youth and set the stage for developing improved intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juyoen Hur
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States.
| | | | - Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Alexander J Shackman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States; Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States.
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92
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Roles of the Amygdala and Basal Forebrain in Defense: a Reply to Luyck Et al. and Implications for Defensive Action. Neuropsychol Rev 2019; 29:186-189. [PMID: 30888605 PMCID: PMC6560019 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-019-09401-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The commentary by Luyck and colleagues on our paper provides many stimulating viewpoints and interpretations of our original study on dissociable responses in the amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in threat processing. Here, we reply to some of the points raised and while agreeing with most of the comments also provide some alternative viewpoints. We end by putting forward a research agenda for how to further investigate the roles of these regions in threat processing, with an emphasis on studying their roles in defensive action.
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93
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Onaka T, Takayanagi Y. Role of oxytocin in the control of stress and food intake. J Neuroendocrinol 2019; 31:e12700. [PMID: 30786104 PMCID: PMC7217012 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin neurones in the hypothalamus are activated by stressful stimuli and food intake. The oxytocin receptor is located in various brain regions, including the sensory information-processing cerebral cortex; the cognitive information-processing prefrontal cortex; reward-related regions such as the ventral tegmental areas, nucleus accumbens and raphe nucleus; stress-related areas such as the amygdala, hippocampus, ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray; homeostasis-controlling hypothalamus; and the dorsal motor complex controlling intestinal functions. Oxytocin affects behavioural and neuroendocrine stress responses and terminates food intake by acting on the metabolic or nutritional homeostasis system, modulating emotional processing, reducing reward values of food intake, and facilitating sensory and cognitive processing via multiple brain regions. Oxytocin also plays a role in interactive actions between stress and food intake and contributes to adaptive active coping behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsushi Onaka
- Division of Brain and NeurophysiologyDepartment of PhysiologyJichi Medical UniversityShimotsuke‐shiJapan
| | - Yuki Takayanagi
- Division of Brain and NeurophysiologyDepartment of PhysiologyJichi Medical UniversityShimotsuke‐shiJapan
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94
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The role of the basolateral amygdala in dreaming. Cortex 2018; 113:169-183. [PMID: 30660955 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies have repeatedly shown amygdala activity during sleep (REM and NREM). Consequently, various theorists propose central roles for the amygdala in dreaming - particularly in the generation of dream affects, which seem to play a major role in dream plots. However, a causal role for the amygdala in dream phenomena has never been demonstrated. The traditional first step in determining this role is to observe the functional effects of isolated lesions to the brain structure in question. However, circumscribed bilateral amygdala lesions are extremely rare. Furthermore, the treatment of the amygdala as a unitary structure is problematic, as the basolateral and centromedial amygdala (BLA and CMA) may serve very different functions. We analysed 23 dream reports collected from eight adult patients with bilateral calcification of the BLA as a result of a very rare genetic condition called Urbach-Wiethe Disease (UWD). We compared these dream reports to 52 reports collected from 17 matched controls. Given that the BLA has been implicated in various affective processes in waking life, we predicted that the emotional content of the patients' dreams would differ from that of controls. Due to the exploratory nature of this research, a range of different dream characteristics were analysed. A principal components analysis run on all data returned three key factors, namely pleasantness, length and danger. The UWD patients' dream reports were significantly more pleasant and significantly shorter and less complex than control reports. No differences were found in levels of threat or danger. The results support some current hypotheses concerning the amygdala's role in dreaming, and call others into question. Future research should examine whether these UWD patients show generally impaired emotional episodic memory due to BLA damage, which could explain some of the current findings.
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95
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Zhang X, Li B. A Pathway to Avoiding Threats? Neuron 2018; 100:780-782. [PMID: 30465764 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
How does our brain give rise to passive or active defensive responses when we are confronted with threats? In a recent study in Cell, Terburg, Scheggia and colleagues (Terburg et al., 2018) show that, in both humans and rats, a pathway originating from the amygdala can help suppress passive responses, thereby facilitating active responses to imminent threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Zhang
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Bo Li
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
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