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A non-canonical GABAergic pathway to the VTA promotes unconditioned freezing. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:4905-4917. [PMID: 36127430 PMCID: PMC9763111 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01765-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Freezing is a conserved defensive behaviour that constitutes a major stress-coping mechanism. Decades of research have demonstrated a role of the amygdala, periaqueductal grey and hypothalamus as core actuators of the control of fear responses, including freezing. However, the role that other modulatory sites provide to this hardwired scaffold is not known. Here, we show that freezing elicited by exposure to electrical foot shocks activates laterodorsal tegmentum (LDTg) GABAergic neurons projecting to the VTA, without altering the excitability of cholinergic and glutamatergic LDTg neurons. Selective chemogenetic silencing of this inhibitory projection, but not other LDTg neuronal subtypes, dampens freezing responses but does not prevent the formation of conditioned fear memories. Conversely, optogenetic-activation of LDTg GABA terminals within the VTA drives freezing responses and elicits bradycardia, a common hallmark of freezing. Notably, this aversive information is subsequently conveyed from the VTA to the amygdala via a discrete GABAergic pathway. Hence, we unveiled a circuit mechanism linking LDTg-VTA-amygdala regions, which holds potential translational relevance for pathological freezing states such as post-traumatic stress disorders, panic attacks and social phobias.
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52
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Jesuthasan S, Krishnan S, Cheng RK, Mathuru A. Neural correlates of state transitions elicited by a chemosensory danger cue. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 111:110110. [PMID: 32950538 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Detection of predator cues changes the brain state in prey species and helps them avoid danger. Dysfunctionality in changing the central state appropriately in stressful situations is proposed to be an underlying cause of multiple psychiatric disorders in humans. METHODS Here, we investigate the dynamics of neural circuits mediating response to a threat, to characterize these states and to identify potential control networks. We use resonant scanning 2-photon microscopy for in vivo brain-wide imaging and custom designed behavioral assays for the study. RESULTS We first show that 5-7 day old zebrafish larvae react to an alarm pheromone (Schreckstoff) with reduced mobility. They subsequently display heightened vigilance, as evidenced by increased dark avoidance. Calcium imaging indicates that exposure to Schreckstoff elicits stimulus-locked activity in olfactory sensory neurons innervating a lateral glomerulus and in telencephalic regions including the putative medial amygdala and entopeduncular nucleus. Sustained activity outlasting the stimulus delivery was detected in regions regulating neuromodulator release, including the lateral habenula, posterior tuberculum, superior raphe, and locus coeruleus. CONCLUSION We propose that these latter regions contribute to the network that defines the "threatened" state, while neurons with transient activity serve as the trigger. Our study highlights the utility of the zebrafish larval alarm response system to examine neural circuits during stress dependent brain state transitions and to discover potential therapeutic agents when such transitions are disrupted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suresh Jesuthasan
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore.
| | - Seetha Krishnan
- NUS Graduate School of Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ruey-Kuang Cheng
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ajay Mathuru
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore; Yale-NUS College, 12 College Avenue West, Singapore; Dept. of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
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53
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Fratzl A, Koltchev AM, Vissers N, Tan YL, Marques-Smith A, Stempel AV, Branco T, Hofer SB. Flexible inhibitory control of visually evoked defensive behavior by the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus. Neuron 2021; 109:3810-3822.e9. [PMID: 34614420 PMCID: PMC8648186 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Animals can choose to act upon, or to ignore, sensory stimuli, depending on circumstance and prior knowledge. This flexibility is thought to depend on neural inhibition, through suppression of inappropriate and disinhibition of appropriate actions. Here, we identified the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN), an inhibitory prethalamic area, as a critical node for control of visually evoked defensive responses in mice. The activity of vLGN projections to the medial superior colliculus (mSC) is modulated by previous experience of threatening stimuli, tracks the perceived threat level in the environment, and is low prior to escape from a visual threat. Optogenetic stimulation of the vLGN abolishes escape responses, and suppressing its activity lowers the threshold for escape and increases risk-avoidance behavior. The vLGN most strongly affects visual threat responses, potentially via modality-specific inhibition of mSC circuits. Thus, inhibitory vLGN circuits control defensive behavior, depending on an animal’s prior experience and its anticipation of danger in the environment. Activity of vLGN axons in the mSC reflects the previous experience of threat The vLGN bidirectionally controls escape from visual threat Activating the vLGN specifically reduces the activity of visual units in mSC Activating vLGN axons in the mSC specifically suppresses escape from visual threat
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Fratzl
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alice M Koltchev
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nicole Vissers
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Yu Lin Tan
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Andre Marques-Smith
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - A Vanessa Stempel
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tiago Branco
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sonja B Hofer
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK.
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54
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Bruzsik B, Biro L, Sarosdi KR, Zelena D, Sipos E, Szebik H, Török B, Mikics E, Toth M. Neurochemically distinct populations of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis modulate innate fear response to weak threat evoked by predator odor stimuli. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100415. [PMID: 34765699 PMCID: PMC8572958 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety and trauma-related disorders are characterized by significant alterations in threat detection, resulting in inadequate fear responses evoked by weak threats or safety stimuli. Recent research pointed out the important role of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) in threat anticipation and fear modulation under ambiguous threats, hence, exaggerated fear may be traced back to altered BNST function. To test this hypothesis, we chemogenetically inhibited specific BNST neuronal populations (corticotropin-releasing hormone - BNSTCRH and somatostatin - BNSTSST expressing neurons) in a predator odor-evoked innate fear paradigm. The rationale for this paradigm was threefold: (1) predatory cues are particularly strong danger signals for all vertebrate species evoking defensive responses on the flight-avoidance-freezing dimension (conservative mechanisms), (2) predator odor can be presented in a scalable manner (from weak to strong), and (3) higher-order processing of olfactory information including predatory odor stimuli is integrated by the BNST. Accordingly, we exposed adult male mice to low and high predatory threats presented by means of cat urine, or low- and high-dose of 2-methyl-2-thiazoline (2MT), a synthetic derivate of a fox anogenital product, which evoked low and high fear response, respectively. Then, we tested the impact of chemogenetic inhibition of BNSTCRH and BNSTSST neurons on innate fear responses using crh- and sst-ires-cre mouse lines. We observed that BNSTSST inhibition was effective only under low threat conditions, resulting in reduced avoidance and increased exploration of the odor source. In contrast, BNSTCRH inhibition had no impact on 2MT-evoked responses, but enhanced fear responses to cat odor, representing an even weaker threat stimulus. These findings support the notion that BNST is recruited by uncertain or remote, potential threats, and CRH and SST neurons orchestrate innate fear responses in complementary ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biborka Bruzsik
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.,Janos Szentagothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Laszlo Biro
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.,Laboratory of Thalamus Research, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Klara Rebeka Sarosdi
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dora Zelena
- Laboratory of Behavioural and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.,Center for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Center, Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Eszter Sipos
- Laboratory of Behavioural and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Huba Szebik
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.,Janos Szentagothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bibiána Török
- Janos Szentagothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.,Laboratory of Behavioural and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Eva Mikics
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Mate Toth
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
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55
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Li HD, Li DN, Yang L, Long C. Deficiency of the CYLD Impairs Fear Memory of Mice and Disrupts Neuronal Activity and Synaptic Transmission in the Basolateral Amygdala. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:740165. [PMID: 34602983 PMCID: PMC8485066 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.740165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear learning and memory are crucial for animal survival. Abnormal fear memory is a hallmark of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Appropriate neuronal activation and excitability in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) are necessary for the formation of fear memory. The gene cylindromatosis (Cyld), which encodes a lysine-63 deubiquitinase, is expressed in several brain regions including the amygdala. The functions of the cylindromatosis protein (CYLD) in the regulation of the neuronal activity, neural circuits and fear memory, remain largely unknown, however. Here, we report that Cyld knockout impairs amygdala-dependent tone-cued fear memory. The number of c-Fos+ neurons responding to the tone-cued fear test was reduced in the BLA of Cyld–/– mice, suggesting that the absence of CYLD causes aberrant neuronal activation. We found that this aberrant neuronal activation in the BLA of Cyld–/– mice may relate to the decreased excitability of principal neurons. Another possibility of aberrant neuronal activation could be the impaired excitatory synaptic transmission in the BLA of Cyld–/– mice. Specifically, both the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents and the amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents in BLA principal neurons were decreased. In addition, Cyld mutation caused an increase in both the frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents in principal neurons and the number of parvalbumin+ interneurons, consistent with excessive local circuit inhibition in the BLA of Cyld–/– mice. Taken together, these results suggest that CYLD deficiency disrupts the neuronal activity and synaptic transmission in the BLA of mice which may contribute to the impaired fear memory observed in Cyld–/– mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Dong Li
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dan-Ni Li
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cheng Long
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,South China Normal University-Panyu Central Hospital Joint Laboratory of Translational Medical Research, Panyu Central Hospital, Guangzhou, China
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56
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Muzik O, Baajour S, Chowdury A, Diwadkar VA. Effective connectivity of brain networks controlling human thermoregulation. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:299-312. [PMID: 34605996 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02401-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Homeostatic centers in the mammalian brainstem are critical in responding to thermal challenges. These centers play a prominent role in human thermoregulation, but humans also respond to thermal challenges through behavior modification. Behavioral modifications are presumably sub served by interactions between the brainstem and interoceptive, cognitive and affective elements in human brain networks. Prior evidence suggests that interoceptive regions such as the insula, and cognitive/affective regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex are crucial. Here we used dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to discover likely generative network architectures and estimate changes in the effective connectivity between nodes in a hierarchically organized thermoregulatory network (homeostatic-interoceptive-cognitive/affective). fMRI data were acquired while participants (N = 20) were subjected to a controlled whole body thermal challenge that alternatingly evoked sympathetic and parasympathetic responses. Using a competitive modeling framework (ten competing modeling architectures), we demonstrated that sympathetic responses (evoked by whole-body cooling) resulted in more complex network interactions along two ascending pathways: (i) homeostatic interoceptive and (ii) homeostatic cognitive/affective. Analyses of estimated connectivity coefficients demonstrated that sympathetic responses evoked greater network connectivity in key pathways compared to parasympathetic responses. These results reveal putative mechanisms by which human thermoregulatory networks evince a high degree of contextual sensitivity to thermoregulatory challenges. The patterns of the discovered interactions also reveal how information propagation from homeostatic regions to both interoceptive and cognitive/affective regions sub serves the behavioral repertoire that is an important aspect of thermoregulatory defense in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otto Muzik
- Departments of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA. .,Departments of Radiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA. .,KCI PET Center, Children's Hospital of Michigan, 3901 Beaubien Blvd, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA.
| | - Shahira Baajour
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Asadur Chowdury
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Vaibhav A Diwadkar
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
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57
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Landová E, Janovcová M, Štolhoferová I, Rádlová S, Frýdlová P, Sedláčková K, Frynta D. Specificity of spiders among fear- and disgust-eliciting arthropods: Spiders are special, but phobics not so much. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257726. [PMID: 34555103 PMCID: PMC8460016 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate a specificity of spiders as a prototypical fear- and disgust-eliciting stimuli, we conducted an online experiment. The respondents rated images of 25 spiders, 12 non-spider chelicerates, and 10 other arthropods on a fear and disgust 7-point scale. The evaluation of 968 Central European respondents confirmed the specificity of spiders among fear- and disgust-eliciting arthropods and supported the notion of spiders as a cognitive category. We delineated this category as covering extant spider species as well as some other chelicerates bearing a physical resemblance to spiders, mainly whip spiders and camel spiders. We suggested calling this category the spider-like cognitive category. We discussed evolutionary roots of the spider-like category and concluded that its roots should be sought in fear, with disgust being secondary of the two emotions. We suggested other chelicerates, e.g., scorpions, might have been important in formation and fixation of the spider-like category. Further, we investigated an effect of respondent's sensitivity to a specific fear of spiders on evaluation of the stimuli. We found that suspected phobic respondents were in their rating nearly identical to those with only high fear of spiders and similar to those with only moderate fear of spiders. We concluded that results based on healthy respondents with elevated fear should also be considered relevant for arachnophobia research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Landová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, the Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, the Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
| | - Markéta Janovcová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, the Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, the Czech Republic
| | - Iveta Štolhoferová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, the Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, the Czech Republic
| | - Silvie Rádlová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, the Czech Republic
| | - Petra Frýdlová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, the Czech Republic
| | | | - Daniel Frynta
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, the Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, the Czech Republic
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58
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Lages YV, Maisonnette SS, Marinho B, Rosseti FP, Krahe TE, Landeira-Fernandez J. Behavioral effects of chronic stress in Carioca high- and low-conditioned freezing rats. Stress 2021; 24:602-611. [PMID: 34030584 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2021.1934445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) is a widely used model to study stress-coping strategies in rodents. Different factors have been shown to influence whether animals adopt passive or active coping responses to CUMS. Individual adaptation and susceptibility to the environment seem to play a critical role in this process. To further investigate this relationship, we examined the effects of CUMS on Carioca high- and low-conditioned freezing rats (CHF and CLF, respectively), bidirectional lines of animals selected for high and low freezing in response to contextual cues that were previously associated with footshocks. For this purpose, the behavior of CHF and CLF animals was evaluated in the contextual fear conditioning, open field, elevated T maze, and forced swimming tests before and after 21 days of CUMS. For all tests, CHF rats were more susceptible to the effects of CUMS compared to CLF. CHF animals exposed to CUMS displayed a reduction in freezing behavior, decreased number of entries and time spent in the center of the open field, greater latencies to become immobile, and increased avoidance and escaping behaviors in the elevated T maze. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that a heightened susceptibility to the environment exerts a strong influence on coping responses to chronic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yury V Lages
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Silvia S Maisonnette
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Beatriz Marinho
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Flávia P Rosseti
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thomas E Krahe
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - J Landeira-Fernandez
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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59
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A thalamo-amygdalar circuit underlying the extinction of remote fear memories. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:964-974. [PMID: 34017129 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00856-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Fear and trauma generate some of the longest-lived memories. Despite the corresponding need to understand how such memories can be attenuated, the underlying brain circuits remain unknown. Here, combining viral tracing, neuronal activity mapping, fiber photometry, chemogenetic and closed-loop optogenetic manipulations in mice, we show that the extinction of remote (30-day-old) fear memories depends on thalamic nucleus reuniens (NRe) inputs to the basolateral amygdala (BLA). We found that remote, but not recent (1-day-old), fear extinction activates NRe-to-BLA inputs, which become potentiated upon fear reduction. Furthermore, both monosynaptic NRe-to-BLA and total NRe activity increase shortly before freezing cessation, suggesting that the NRe registers and transmits safety signals to the BLA. Accordingly, pan-NRe and pathway-specific NRe-to-BLA inhibition impairs, whereas their activation facilitates, remote fear extinction. These findings identify the NRe as a crucial BLA regulator for extinction and provide the first functional description of the circuits underlying the attenuation of consolidated fear memories.
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60
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Borkar CD, Fadok JP. The hypothalamus coordinates diverse escape strategies from threat. Neuron 2021; 109:1763-1765. [PMID: 34081918 PMCID: PMC10893794 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The neural circuits orchestrating complex behavioral response strategies to threat are not understood. In this issue of Neuron, Wang et al. (2021) establish the hypothalamic dorsal premammillary nucleus as a critical node that communicates with thalamic and midbrain regions to coordinate diverse escape strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrashekhar D Borkar
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118-5698, USA; Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118-5698, USA
| | - Jonathan P Fadok
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118-5698, USA; Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118-5698, USA.
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61
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Kong MS, Zweifel LS. Central amygdala circuits in valence and salience processing. Behav Brain Res 2021; 410:113355. [PMID: 33989728 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral responses to environmental stimuli are dictated by the affective valence of the stimulus, good (positive valence) or bad (negative valence). These stimuli can innately elicit an affective response that promotes approach or avoidance behavior. In addition to innately valenced stimuli, valence can also be assigned to initially neutral stimuli through associative learning. A stimulus of a given valence can vary in salience depending on the strength of the stimulus, the underlying state of the animal, and the context of the stimulus presentation. Salience endows the stimulus with the ability to direct attention and elicit preparatory responses to mount an incentive-based motivated behavior. The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) has emerged as an early integration point for valence and salience detection to engage preparatory autonomic responses and behavioral posturing in response to both aversive and appetitive stimuli. There are numerous cell types in the CeA that are involved in valence and salience processing through a variety of connections, and we will review the recent progress that has been made in identifying these circuit elements and their roles in these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi-Seon Kong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States
| | - Larry S Zweifel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States; Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States.
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62
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Liu C, Lee CY, Asher G, Cao L, Terakoshi Y, Cao P, Kobayakawa R, Kobayakawa K, Sakurai K, Liu Q. Posterior subthalamic nucleus (PSTh) mediates innate fear-associated hypothermia in mice. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2648. [PMID: 33976193 PMCID: PMC8113537 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22914-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural mechanisms of fear-associated thermoregulation remain unclear. Innate fear odor 2-methyl-2-thiazoline (2MT) elicits rapid hypothermia and elevated tail temperature, indicative of vasodilation-induced heat dissipation, in wild-type mice, but not in mice lacking Trpa1-the chemosensor for 2MT. Here we report that Trpa1-/- mice show diminished 2MT-evoked c-fos expression in the posterior subthalamic nucleus (PSTh), external lateral parabrachial subnucleus (PBel) and nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). Whereas tetanus toxin light chain-mediated inactivation of NTS-projecting PSTh neurons suppress, optogenetic activation of direct PSTh-rostral NTS pathway induces hypothermia and tail vasodilation. Furthermore, selective opto-stimulation of 2MT-activated, PSTh-projecting PBel neurons by capturing activated neuronal ensembles (CANE) causes hypothermia. Conversely, chemogenetic suppression of vGlut2+ neurons in PBel or PSTh, or PSTh-projecting PBel neurons attenuates 2MT-evoked hypothermia and tail vasodilation. These studies identify PSTh as a major thermoregulatory hub that connects PBel to NTS to mediate 2MT-evoked innate fear-associated hypothermia and tail vasodilation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Liu
- Peking University-Tsinghua University-NIBS Joint Graduate Program, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, China
| | - Chia-Ying Lee
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Greg Asher
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Liqin Cao
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yuka Terakoshi
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Peng Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, China
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research (TIMBR), Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Reiko Kobayakawa
- Department of Functional Neuroscience, Institute of Biomedical Science, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ko Kobayakawa
- Department of Functional Neuroscience, Institute of Biomedical Science, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Katsuyasu Sakurai
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
| | - Qinghua Liu
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, China.
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research (TIMBR), Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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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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64
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Delineating the organization of projection neuron subsets in primary visual cortex with multiple fluorescent rabies virus tracing. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:951-961. [PMID: 33710409 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02250-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The impressive functions of the brain rely on an extensive connectivity matrix between specific neurons, the architecture of which is frequently characterized by one brain nucleus/region connecting to multiple targets, either via collaterals of the same projection neuron or several, differentially specified neurons. Delineating the fine architecture of projection neuron subsets in a specific brain region could greatly facilitate its circuit, computational, and functional resolution. Here, we developed multiple fluorescent rabies viruses (RV) to delineate the fine organization of corticothalamic projection neuron subsets in the primary visual cortex (V1). By simultaneously retrograde labeling multiple distinct subsets of corticothalamic projection neurons in V1 from their target nuclei in thalamus (dLGN, LP, LD), we observed that V1-dLGN corticothalamic projection neurons were densely concentrated in layer VI, except for several sparsely scattered neurons in layer V, while V1-LP and V1-LD corticothalamic projection neurons were localized to both layers V and VI. Meanwhile, we observed a fraction of V1 corticothalamic projection neurons targeting two thalamic nuclei, which was further confirmed by fMOST whole-brain imaging. The multiple fluorescent RV tracing tools can be extensively applied to resolve the architecture of projection neuron subsets in certain brain regions, with a strong potential to delineate the computational and functional organization of these brain regions.
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65
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Levy I, Schiller D. Neural Computations of Threat. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:151-171. [PMID: 33384214 PMCID: PMC8084636 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
A host of learning, memory, and decision-making processes form the individual's response to threat and may be disrupted in anxiety and post-trauma psychopathology. Here we review the neural computations of threat, from the first encounter with a dangerous situation, through learning, storing, and updating cues that predict it, to making decisions about the optimal course of action. The overview highlights the interconnected nature of these processes and their reliance on shared neural and computational mechanisms. We propose an integrative approach to the study of threat-related processes, in which specific computations are studied across the various stages of threat experience rather than in isolation. This approach can generate new insights about the evolution, diagnosis, and treatment of threat-related psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ifat Levy
- Departments of Comparative Medicine, Neuroscience, and Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Daniela Schiller
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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66
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Montardy Q, Kwan WC, Mundinano IC, Fox DM, Wang L, Gross CT, Bourne JA. Mapping the neural circuitry of predator fear in the nonhuman primate. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 226:195-205. [PMID: 33263778 PMCID: PMC7817595 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02176-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In rodents, innate and learned fear of predators depends on the medial hypothalamic defensive system, a conserved brain network that lies downstream of the amygdala and promotes avoidance via projections to the periaqueductal gray. Whether this network is involved in primate fear remains unknown. To address this, we provoked flight responses to a predator (moving snake) in the marmoset monkey under laboratory conditions. We combined c-Fos immunolabeling and anterograde/retrograde tracing to map the functional connectivity of the ventromedial hypothalamus, a core node in the medial hypothalamic defensive system. Our findings demonstrate that the ventromedial hypothalamus is recruited by predator exposure in primates and that anatomical connectivity of the rodent and primate medial hypothalamic defensive system are highly conserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- 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
| | - William C Kwan
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Inaki C Mundinano
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Dylan M Fox
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - 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
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, RM, Italy.
| | - James A Bourne
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
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67
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Uselman TW, Barto DR, Jacobs RE, Bearer EL. Evolution of brain-wide activity in the awake behaving mouse after acute fear by longitudinal manganese-enhanced MRI. Neuroimage 2020; 222:116975. [PMID: 32474079 PMCID: PMC7805483 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Life threatening fear after a single exposure evolves in a subset of vulnerable individuals to anxiety, which may persist for their lifetime. Yet neither the whole brain's response to innate acute fear nor how brain activity evolves over time is known. Sustained neuronal activity may be a factor in the development of a persistent fear response. We couple two experimental protocols to provoke acute fear leading to prolonged fear: Predator stress (PS), a naturalistic approach to induce fear in rodents; and Serotonin transporter knockout mouse (SERT-KO) that responds to PS with sustained defensive behavior. Behavior was monitored before, during and at short and long times after PS in wild type (WT) and SERT-KO mice. Both genotypes responded to PS with defensive behavior. SERT-KO retained defensive behavior for 23 days, while WT mice returned to baseline exploratory behavior by 9 days. Thus, differences in neural activity between WT and SERT-KO 9 days after PS identifies neural correlates of persistent defensive behavior, in mice. We used longitudinal manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) to identify brain-wide neural activity associated with different behaviors. Mn2+ accumulation in active neurons occurs in awake, behaving mice and is retrospectively imaged. Following the same two cohorts of mice, WT and SERT-KO, longitudinally allowed unbiased quantitative comparisons of brain-wide activity by statistical parametric mapping (SPM). During natural behavior in WT, only low levels of activity-induced Mn2+-accumulation were detected, while much more accumulation appeared immediately after PS in both WT and SERT-KO, and evolved at 9 days to a new activity pattern (p < 0.0001, uncorr., T = 5.4). Patterns of accumulation differed between genotypes, with more regions of the brain and larger volumes within regions involved in SERT-KO than WT. A new computational segmentation analysis, using our InVivo Atlas based on a manganese-enhanced MR image of a living mouse, revealed dynamic changes in the volume of significantly enhanced voxels within each segment that differed between genotypes across 45 of 87 segmented regions. At Day 9 after PS, the striatum and ventral pallidum were active in both genotypes but more so in the SERT-KO. SERT-KO also displayed sustained or increased volume of Mn2+ accumulations between Post-Fear and Day 9 in eight segments where activity was decreased or silenced in WT. C-fos staining, an alternative neural activity marker, of brains from the same mice fixed at conclusion of imaging sessions confirmed that MEMRI detected active neurons. Intensity measurements in 12 regions of interest (ROIs) supported the SPM results. Between group comparisons by SPM and of ROI measurements identified specific regions differing between time points and genotypes. We report brain-wide activity in response to a single exposure of acute fear, and, for the first time, its evolution to new activity patterns over time in individuals vulnerable to persistent fear. Our results show multiple regions with dynamic changes in neural activity and that the balance of activity between segments is disordered in the SERT-KO. Thus, longitudinal MEMRI represents a powerful approach to discover how brain-wide activity evolves from the natural state either after an experience or during a disease process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor W Uselman
- Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Daniel R Barto
- Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Russell E Jacobs
- Zilkha Neurogenetics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Elaine L Bearer
- Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA; California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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68
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Differential Encoding of Predator Fear in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus and Periaqueductal Grey. J Neurosci 2020; 40:9283-9292. [PMID: 33115925 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0761-18.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventromedial hypothalamus is a central node of the mammalian predator defense network. Stimulation of this structure in rodents and primates elicits abrupt defensive responses, including flight, freezing, sympathetic activation, and panic, while inhibition reduces defensive responses to predators. The major efferent target of the ventromedial hypothalamus is the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG), and stimulation of this structure also elicits flight, freezing, and sympathetic activation. However, reversible inhibition experiments suggest that the ventromedial hypothalamus and periaqueductal gray play distinct roles in the control of defensive behavior, with the former proposed to encode an internal state necessary for the motivation of defensive responses, while the latter serves as a motor pattern initiator. Here, we used electrophysiological recordings of single units in behaving male mice exposed to a rat to investigate the encoding of predator fear in the dorsomedial division of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHdm) and the dPAG. Distinct correlates of threat intensity and motor responses were found in both structures, suggesting a distributed encoding of sensory and motor features in the medial hypothalamic-brainstem instinctive network.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although behavioral responses to predatory threat are essential for survival, the underlying neuronal circuits remain undefined. Using single unit in vivo electrophysiological recordings in mice, we have identified neuronal populations in the medial hypothalamus and brainstem that encode defensive responses to a rat predator. We found that both structures encode both sensory as well as motor aspects of the behavior although with different kinetics. Our findings provide a framework for understanding how innate sensory cues are processed to elicit adaptive behavioral responses to threat and will help to identify targets for the pharmacological modulation of related pathologic behaviors.
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69
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Krzywkowski P, Penna B, Gross CT. Dynamic encoding of social threat and spatial context in the hypothalamus. eLife 2020; 9:e57148. [PMID: 32955014 PMCID: PMC7505658 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social aggression and avoidance are defensive behaviors expressed by territorial animals in a manner appropriate to spatial context and experience. The ventromedial hypothalamus controls both social aggression and avoidance, suggesting that it may encode a general internal state of threat modulated by space and experience. Here, we show that neurons in the mouse ventromedial hypothalamus are activated both by the presence of a social threat as well as by a chamber where social defeat previously occurred. Moreover, under conditions where the animal could move freely between a home and defeat chamber, firing activity emerged that predicted the animal's position, demonstrating the dynamic encoding of spatial context in the hypothalamus. Finally, we found that social defeat induced a functional reorganization of neural activity as optogenetic activation could elicit avoidance after, but not before social defeat. These findings reveal how the hypothalamus dynamically encodes spatial and sensory cues to drive social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Krzywkowski
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMonterotondoItaly
- EMBL and Heidelberg University, Faculty of BiosciencesHeidelbergGermany
| | - Beatrice Penna
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMonterotondoItaly
- Masters Course in Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Sapienza UniversityRomaItaly
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMonterotondoItaly
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70
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Chen WB, Pan HQ, He Y, Wang XH, Zhang WH, Pan BX. Rap1b but not Rap1a in the forebrain is required for learned fear. Cell Biosci 2020; 10:107. [PMID: 32944221 PMCID: PMC7488763 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-020-00469-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Fear is an adaptive response across species in the face of threatening cues. It can be either innate or learned through postnatal experience. We have previously shown that genetic deletion of both Rap1a and Rap1b, two isoforms of small GTPase Rap1 in forebrain, causes impairment in auditory fear conditioning. However, the specific roles of these two isoforms are not yet known. Results In the present study, employing mice with forebrain-restricted deletion of Rap1a or Rap1b, we found that they are both dispensable for normal acquisition of fear learning. However, Rap1b but not Rap1a knockout (KO) mice displayed impairment in the retrieval of learned fear. Subsequently, we found that the expression of c-Fos, a marker of neuronal activity, is specifically decreased in prelimbic cortex (PL) of Rap1b KO mice after auditory fear conditioning, while remained unaltered in the amygdala and infralimbic cortex (IL). On the other hand, neither Rap1a nor Rap1b knockout altered the innate fear of mice in response to their predator odor, 2,5-Dihydro-2,4,5-Trimethylthiazoline (TMT). Conclusion Thus, our results indicate that it is Rap1b but not Rap1a involved in the retrieval process of fear learning, and the learned but not innate fear requires Rap1 signaling in forebrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Bing Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China.,Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China
| | - Han-Qing Pan
- School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China.,Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China
| | - Ye He
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China.,Center for Basic Medical Experiment, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China
| | - Xue-Hui Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China.,Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China
| | - Wen-Hua Zhang
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China
| | - Bing-Xing Pan
- School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China.,Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031 China.,Department of Ophthalmology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006 China
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71
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Palumbo F, Serneels B, Pelgrims R, Yaksi E. The Zebrafish Dorsolateral Habenula Is Required for Updating Learned Behaviors. Cell Rep 2020; 32:108054. [PMID: 32846116 PMCID: PMC7479510 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Operant learning requires multiple cognitive processes, such as learning, prediction of potential outcomes, and decision-making. It is less clear how interactions of these processes lead to the behavioral adaptations that allow animals to cope with a changing environment. We show that juvenile zebrafish can perform conditioned place avoidance learning, with improving performance across development. Ablation of the dorsolateral habenula (dlHb), a brain region involved in associative learning and prediction of outcomes, leads to an unexpected improvement in performance and delayed memory extinction. Interestingly, the control animals exhibit rapid adaptation to a changing learning rule, whereas dlHb-ablated animals fail to adapt. Altogether, our results show that the dlHb plays a central role in switching animals' strategies while integrating new evidence with prior experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Palumbo
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7030 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Bram Serneels
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7030 Trondheim, Norway; KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robbrecht Pelgrims
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7030 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Emre Yaksi
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7030 Trondheim, Norway.
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72
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Fendt M, Parsons MH, Apfelbach R, Carthey AJ, Dickman CR, Endres T, Frank AS, Heinz DE, Jones ME, Kiyokawa Y, Kreutzmann JC, Roelofs K, Schneider M, Sulger J, Wotjak CT, Blumstein DT. Context and trade-offs characterize real-world threat detection systems: A review and comprehensive framework to improve research practice and resolve the translational crisis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 115:25-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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73
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Lin CC, Chen TY, Cheng PY, Liu YP. Early life social experience affects adulthood fear extinction deficit and associated dopamine profile abnormalities in a rat model of PTSD. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 101:109914. [PMID: 32165120 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Individuals may develop fear extinction deficits after life-threatening traumatic events; such deficits indicate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Because the occurrence of this disorder differs among people who have experienced trauma, hidden underlying factors should be determined. Increasing evidence suggests the involvement of neuronal dysregulation of information processes or cognitive function during development. This neuronal dysregulation is caused by disturbances in dopamine (DA) transmission within the fear circuit, which comprises the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala, and hippocampus. Single prolonged stress (SPS) combined with an isolation rearing (IR) paradigm was used to randomly assign rats to four groups [social rearing-no SPS (SR-NS), SR-SPS, IR-NS, and IR-SPS], and their performance in prepulse inhibition (PPI) and on Pavlovian fear conditioning tests was assessed. Tissue DA levels and the expression of DA receptors (D1R and D2R) in the fear circuit were measured at the end of the experiment. Our results indicated that PPI deficits and fear extinction problems were specific to rats subjected to IR and SPS, respectively. Furthermore, IR-induced PPI deficits were not influenced by SPS, but SPS-induced fear extinction retrieval impairment could be adjusted according to previous IR experiences. Neurochemically, tissue DA levels and D1R expression in the mPFC and amygdala were nonspecifically reduced by IR and SPS, whereas D2R expression in the mPFC and amygdala was higher in IR-SPS than in SR-SPS rats. These findings suggest that early life experiences may influence fear responses in adulthood through a change in DA profiles within the fear circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Cheng Lin
- Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei 11220, Taiwan; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Physiology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
| | - Tzung-Yan Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei 11220, Taiwan; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Physiology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
| | - Pao-Yun Cheng
- Department of Physiology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan.
| | - Yia-Ping Liu
- Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei 11220, Taiwan; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Physiology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan.
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74
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Tseng YT, Zhao B, Liu J, Ding H, Wang F, Wang L. Sleep deprivation and adrenalectomy lead to enhanced innate escape response to visual looming stimuli. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 527:737-743. [PMID: 32444141 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Optimal selections of innate behaviors that enable animals to adapt to particular conditions, whether environmental or internal, remain poorly understood. We report that mice under acute (8 h) sleep deprivation had an enhanced innate escape response and upregulation of c-fos expression in multiple brain areas that regulate wakefulness. By comparison, adrenalectomized mice under the same sleep deprivation condition displayed an even more exaggerated escape response and these wake-regulating brain areas were even more active. This suggests that acute sleep deprivation enhances innate escape response, possibly by altering wake state without causing significant anxiety. We also report that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis feedback under sleep deprivation prevents an exaggerated escape response by modulating wake-regulating brain areas. Taken together, our findings suggest that animals prioritize escape response over sleep, as the need of both behaviors simultaneously increase. We also provide an insight into the neural mechanisms underlying the interaction between sleep and innate escape response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ting Tseng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Binghao Zhao
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, 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
| | - Jingjing Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Hui Ding
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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75
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Dess NK, Chapman CD, Fouladi F, Fodor AA, Lyte M. "Us vs. Them" Pair Housing: Effects on Body Weight, Open Field Behavior, and Gut Microbiota in Rats Selectively Bred on a Taste Phenotype. Physiol Behav 2020; 223:112975. [PMID: 32492497 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Taste is increasingly recognized as being related to reward, risk, and social processes beyond the ingestive domain. Occidental High (HiS) and Low (LoS) Saccharin Consuming rats have been selectively bred for more than 25 years to study those relationships. The present study examined LoS and HiS rats' sensitivity to a social partner's lineage. The role of gut microbiome transfer between lines was also explored as a possible mediating mechanism. Rats were pair-housed with a rat from either their own line (same-line condition) or the other line (other-line condition); weight gain, saccharin intake, acoustic startle, and open field behavior were measured. Results show for the first time that the lines express different behavioral strategies in a novel open field. In addition, weight gain and open field measures indicate that other-line housing was stressful. Saccharin intake, however, was unaffected by housing condition. A previous finding that the lines possess different gut microbiota was replicated. Although microbial transfer occurred between social partners, no clear evidence was obtained that housing-condition effects on weight gain or behavior were mediated by microbial transfer. Overall, these findings add to the characterization of non-gustatory correlates of a taste phenotype and suggest that rats differing strikingly on the taste phenotype and/or its correlates may be socially incompatible.
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76
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First-Person Virtual Embodiment Modulates the Cortical Network that Encodes the Bodily Self and Its Surrounding Space during the Experience of Domestic Violence. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0263-19.2019. [PMID: 32312823 PMCID: PMC7240289 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0263-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2019] [Revised: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Social aggression, such as domestic violence, has been associated with a reduced ability to take on others’ perspectives. In this naturalistic imaging study, we investigated whether training human participants to take on a first-person embodied perspective during the experience of domestic violence enhances the identification with the victim and elicits brain activity associated with the monitoring of the body and surrounding space and the experience of threat. We combined fMRI measurements with preceding virtual reality exposure from either first-person perspective (1PP) or third-person perspective (3PP) to manipulate whether the domestic abuse stimulus was perceived as directed to oneself or another. We found that 1PP exposure increased body ownership and identification with the virtual victim. Furthermore, when the stimulus was perceived as directed toward oneself, the brain network that encodes the bodily self and its surrounding space was more strongly synchronized across participants and connectivity increased from premotor cortex (PM) and intraparietal sulcus towards superior parietal lobe. Additionally, when the stimulus came near the body, brain activity in the amygdala (AMG) strongly synchronized across participants. Exposure to 3PP reduced synchronization of brain activity in the personal space network, increased modulation of visual areas and strengthened functional connectivity between PM, supramarginal gyrus and primary visual cortex. In conclusion, our results suggest that 1PP embodiment training enhances experience from the viewpoint of the virtual victim, which is accompanied by synchronization in the fronto-parietal network to predict actions toward the body and in the AMG to signal the proximity of the stimulus.
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77
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Abend R, Gold AL, Britton JC, Michalska KJ, Shechner T, Sachs JF, Winkler AM, Leibenluft E, Averbeck BB, Pine DS. Anticipatory Threat Responding: Associations With Anxiety, Development, and Brain Structure. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:916-925. [PMID: 31955915 PMCID: PMC7211142 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While translational theories link neurodevelopmental changes in threat learning to pathological anxiety, findings from studies in patients inconsistently support these theories. This inconsistency may reflect difficulties in studying large patient samples with wide age ranges using consistent methods. A dearth of imaging data in patients further limits translational advances. We address these gaps through a psychophysiology and structural brain imaging study in a large sample of patients across the lifespan. METHODS A total of 351 participants (8-50 years of age; 209 female subjects; 195 healthy participants and 156 medication-free, treatment-seeking patients with anxiety) completed a differential threat conditioning and extinction paradigm that has been validated in pediatric and adult populations. Skin conductance response indexed psychophysiological response to conditioned (CS+, CS-) and unconditioned threat stimuli. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data were available for 250 participants. Analyses tested anxiety and age associations with psychophysiological response in addition to associations between psychophysiology and brain structure. RESULTS Regardless of age, patients and healthy comparison subjects demonstrated comparable differential threat conditioning and extinction. The magnitude of skin conductance response to both conditioned stimulus types differentiated patients from comparison subjects and covaried with dorsal prefrontal cortical thickness; structure-response associations were moderated by anxiety and age in several regions. Unconditioned responding was unrelated to anxiety and brain structure. CONCLUSIONS Rather than impaired threat learning, pathological anxiety involves heightened skin conductance response to potential but not immediately present threats; this anxiety-related potentiation of anticipatory responding also relates to variation in brain structure. These findings inform theoretical considerations by highlighting anticipatory response to potential threat in anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rany Abend
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
| | - Andrea L. Gold
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI; Pediatric Anxiety Research Center, Bradley Hospital, Riverside, RI
| | | | | | - Tomer Shechner
- Psychology Department, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Anderson M. Winkler
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Bruno B. Averbeck
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of
Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Daniel S. Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
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78
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Acute Posttrauma Resting-State Functional Connectivity of Periaqueductal Gray Prospectively Predicts Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 5:891-900. [PMID: 32389746 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by hyperarousal, avoidance, and intrusive/re-experiencing symptoms. The periaqueductal gray (PAG), which generates behavioral responses to physical and psychological stressors, is also implicated in threat processing. Distinct regions of the PAG elicit opposing responses to threatening or stressful stimuli; the ventrolateral PAG evokes passive coping strategies (e.g., analgesia), whereas the dorsolateral PAG (dlPAG) promotes active responses (e.g., fight or flight). We investigated whether altered PAG resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) prospectively predicted PTSD symptoms. METHODS A total of 48 trauma-exposed individuals underwent an RSFC scan 2 weeks posttraumatic injury. Self-report measures, including the visual analog scale for pain and the Impact of Event Scale, were collected at 2 weeks and 6 months posttrauma. We analyzed whether acute bilateral PAG RSFC was a marker of risk for total 6-month symptom severity and specific symptom clusters. In an exploratory analysis, we investigated whether dlPAG RSFC predicted PTSD symptoms. RESULTS After adjusting for physical pain ratings, greater acute posttrauma PAG-frontal pole and PAG-posterior cingulate cortex connectivity was positively associated with 6-month total PTSD symptoms. Weaker dlPAG-superior/inferior parietal lobule connectivity predicted both higher hyperarousal and higher intrusive symptoms, while weaker dlPAG-supramarginal gyrus RSFC was associated with only hyperarousal symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Altered connectivity of the PAG 2 weeks posttrauma prospectively predicted PTSD symptoms. These findings suggest that aberrant PAG function may serve as a marker of risk for chronic PTSD symptoms, possibly by driving specific symptom clusters, and more broadly that connectivity of specific brain regions may underlie specific symptom profiles.
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79
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Volz SN, Hausen J, Smith K, Ottermanns R, Schaeffer A, Schiwy S, Hollert H. Do you smell the danger? Effects of three commonly used pesticides on the olfactory-mediated antipredator response of zebrafish (Danio rerio). CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 241:124963. [PMID: 31604193 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Fish are warned about the presence of predators via an alarm cue released from the skin of injured conspecifics. The detection of this odor inherently initiates an antipredator response, which increases the chance of survival for the individual. In the present study, we assessed the effect of three commonly used pesticides on the antipredator response of zebrafish (Danio rerio). For this, we analyzed the behavioral response of zebrafish to a conspecific skin extract following 24 h of exposure to the respective contaminants. Results demonstrate that fish exposed to 20 μg/L of the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos significantly reduced bottom-dwelling and freezing behavior, suggesting an impairment of the antipredator response. For the urea-herbicide linuron and the pyrethroid insecticide permethrin, no statistically significant effects could be detected. However, linuron-exposed fish appeared to respond in an altered manner to the skin extract; some individuals failed to perform the inherent behaviors such as erratic movements and instead merely increased their velocity. Furthermore, we determined whether zebrafish would avoid the pesticides in a choice maze. While fish avoided permethrin, they behaved indifferently to chlorpyrifos and linuron. The study demonstrates that pesticides may alter the olfactory-mediated antipredator response of zebrafish in distinct ways, revealing that particularly fish exposed to chlorpyrifos may be more prone to predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina N Volz
- Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Jonas Hausen
- Core Unit for Bioinformatics Data Analysis, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Kilian Smith
- Chair of Environmental Biology and Chemodynamics, Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Richard Ottermanns
- Chair of Environmental Biology and Chemodynamics, Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Andreas Schaeffer
- Chair of Environmental Biology and Chemodynamics, Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Sabrina Schiwy
- Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Henner Hollert
- Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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80
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Wang H, Chen J, Xu X, Sun WJ, Chen X, Zhao F, Luo MH, Liu C, Guo Y, Xie W, Zhong H, Bai T, Tian Y, Mao Y, Ye C, Tao W, Li J, Farzinpour Z, Li J, Zhou JN, Wang K, He J, Chen L, Zhang Z. Direct auditory cortical input to the lateral periaqueductal gray controls sound-driven defensive behavior. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000417. [PMID: 31469831 PMCID: PMC6742420 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Threatening sounds can elicit a series of defensive behavioral reactions in animals for survival, but the underlying neural substrates are not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate a previously unexplored neural pathway in mice that projects directly from the auditory cortex (ACx) to the lateral periaqueductal gray (lPAG) and controls noise-evoked defensive behaviors. Electrophysiological recordings showed that the lPAG could be excited by a loud noise that induced an escape-like behavior. Trans-synaptic viral tracing showed that a great number of glutamatergic neurons, rather than GABAergic neurons, in the lPAG were directly innervated by those in layer V of the ACx. Activation of this pathway by optogenetic manipulations produced a behavior in mice that mimicked the noise-evoked escape, whereas inhibition of the pathway reduced this behavior. Therefore, our newly identified descending pathway is a novel neural substrate for noise-evoked escape and is involved in controlling the threat-related behavior. Threatening sounds can evoke a defensive behavior in animals to avoid potential harm. This study identifies a novel neural pathway in mice that projects directly from the auditory cortex to the lateral periaqueductal gray and controls defense-like behaviors evoked by a loud noise, supporting the notion that such behaviors are controlled by multiple neural circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haitao Wang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Jiahui Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Xiaotong Xu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Wen-Jian Sun
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xi Chen
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Fei Zhao
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Min-Hua Luo
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Chunhua Liu
- Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiping Guo
- Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wen Xie
- Department of Psychology, Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, China
| | - Hui Zhong
- Department of Psychology, Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, China
| | - Tongjian Bai
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yanghua Tian
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yu Mao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- Department of Anesthesiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Chonghuan Ye
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Wenjuan Tao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Jie Li
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Zahra Farzinpour
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Juan Li
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Jiang-Ning Zhou
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Jufang He
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lin Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- * E-mail: (ZZ); (LC)
| | - Zhi Zhang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- * E-mail: (ZZ); (LC)
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81
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Neves LT, Neves PFR, Paz LV, Zancan M, Milanesi BB, Lazzari GZ, da Silva RB, de Oliveira MMBP, Venturin GT, Greggio S, da Costa JC, Rasia-Filho AA, Mestriner RG, Xavier LL. Increases in dendritic spine density in BLA without metabolic changes in a rodent model of PTSD. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:2857-2870. [PMID: 31440907 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01943-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Imaging studies have shown abnormal amygdala function in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, alterations in synaptic plasticity have been associated with psychiatric disorders and previous reports have indicated alterations in the amygdala morphology, especially in basolateral (BLA) neurons, are associated with stress-related disorders. Since, some individuals exposed to a traumatic event develop PTSD, the goals of this study were to evaluate the early effects of PTSD on amygdala glucose metabolism and analyze the possible BLA dendritic spine plasticity in animals with different levels of behavioral response. We employed the inescapable footshock protocol as an experimental model of PTSD and the animals were classified according to the duration of their freezing behavior into distinct groups: "extreme behavioral response" (EBR) and "minimal behavioral response". We evaluated the amygdala glucose metabolism at baseline (before the stress protocol) and immediately after the situational reminder using the microPET and the radiopharmaceutical 18F-FDG. The BLA dendritic spines were analyzed according to their number, density, shape and morphometric parameters. Our results show the EBR animals exhibited longer freezing behavior and increased proximal dendritic spines density in the BLA neurons. Neither the amygdaloid glucose metabolism, the types of dendritic spines nor their morphometric parameters showed statistically significant differences. The extreme behavior response induced by this PTSD protocol produces an early increase in BLA spine density, which is unassociated with either additional changes in the shape of spines or metabolic changes in the whole amygdala of Wistar rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Tartari Neves
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 104, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Paula Fernanda Ribas Neves
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 104, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Lisiê Valéria Paz
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 104, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Mariana Zancan
- Departamento de Ciências Básicas/Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Bruna Bueno Milanesi
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 104, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil
| | - Gabriele Zenato Lazzari
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 104, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil
| | - Rafaela Barboza da Silva
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 104, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil
| | - Marina Mena Barreto Peres de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 104, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil
| | - Gianina Teribele Venturin
- Instituto do Cérebro do Rio Grande do Sul (InsCer), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Samuel Greggio
- Instituto do Cérebro do Rio Grande do Sul (InsCer), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Jaderson Costa da Costa
- Instituto do Cérebro do Rio Grande do Sul (InsCer), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Alberto A Rasia-Filho
- Departamento de Ciências Básicas/Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Régis Gemerasca Mestriner
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 104, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Léder Leal Xavier
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 104, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil. .,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
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82
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Peng J, Liu Y, Umpierre AD, Xie M, Tian DS, Richardson JR, Wu LJ. Microglial P2Y12 receptor regulates ventral hippocampal CA1 neuronal excitability and innate fear in mice. Mol Brain 2019; 12:71. [PMID: 31426845 PMCID: PMC6700820 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-019-0492-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The P2Y12 receptor (P2Y12R) is a purinoceptor that is selectively expressed in microglia in the central nervous system. As a signature receptor, microglial P2Y12R mediates process chemotaxis towards ADP/ATP gradients and is engaged in several neurological diseases including chronic pain, stroke and seizures. However, the role of microglial P2Y12R in regulating neuronal excitability and innate behaviors is not fully understood. Here, we generated P2Y12-floxed mice to delete microglial P2Y12R beginning in development (CX3CR1Cre/+:P2Y12f/f; "constitutive knockout"), or after normal development in adult mice (CX3CR1CreER/+:P2Y12f/f; "induced knockout"). Using a battery of behavioral tests, we found that both constitutive and induced P2Y12R knockout mice exhibited innate fear but not learned fear behaviors. After mice were exposed to the elevated plus maze, the c-fos expression in ventral hippocampus CA1 neurons was robustly increased in P2Y12R knockout mice compared with wild-type mice. Consistently, using whole cell patch clamp recording, we found the excitability of ventral hippocampus CA1 neurons was increased in the P2Y12R knockout mice. The results suggest that microglial P2Y12R regulates neuronal excitability and innate fear behaviors in developing and adult mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyun Peng
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.,Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Yong Liu
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Anthony D Umpierre
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Manling Xie
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Dai-Shi Tian
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Jason R Richardson
- Departments of Environmental Health Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Long-Jun Wu
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA. .,Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
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83
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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: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [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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84
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Mangieri LR, Jiang Z, Lu Y, Xu Y, Cassidy RM, Justice N, Xu Y, Arenkiel BR, Tong Q. Defensive Behaviors Driven by a Hypothalamic-Ventral Midbrain Circuit. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0156-19.2019. [PMID: 31331938 PMCID: PMC6664144 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0156-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) regulates stress, feeding behaviors and other homeostatic processes, but whether PVH also drives defensive states remains unknown. Here we showed that photostimulation of PVH neurons in mice elicited escape jumping, a typical defensive behavior. We mapped PVH outputs that densely terminate in the ventral midbrain (vMB) area, and found that activation of the PVH→vMB circuit produced profound defensive behavioral changes, including escape jumping, hiding, hyperlocomotion, and learned aversion. Electrophysiological recordings showed excitatory postsynaptic input onto vMB neurons via PVH fiber activation, and in vivo studies demonstrated that glutamate transmission from PVH→vMB was required for the evoked behavioral responses. Photostimulation of PVH→vMB fibers induced cFos expression mainly in non-dopaminergic neurons. Using a dual optogenetic-chemogenetic strategy, we further revealed that escape jumping and hiding were partially contributed by the activation of midbrain glutamatergic neurons. Taken together, our work unveils a hypothalamic-vMB circuit that encodes defensive properties, which may be implicated in stress-induced defensive responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandra R Mangieri
- Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience of MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Zhiying Jiang
- Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Yungang Lu
- Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Yuanzhong Xu
- Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Ryan M Cassidy
- Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience of MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Nicholas Justice
- Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience of MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Yong Xu
- Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Benjamin R Arenkiel
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, and Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Qingchun Tong
- Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience of MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030
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85
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Khalaf O, Gräff J. Reactivation of Recall-Induced Neurons in the Infralimbic Cortex and the Basolateral Amygdala After Remote Fear Memory Attenuation. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:70. [PMID: 31057365 PMCID: PMC6481183 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether the attenuation of traumatic memories is mediated through the suppression of the original memory trace of fear by a new memory trace of safety, or through an updating of the original fear trace towards safety has been a long-standing question at the interface of neuroscience and psychology. This matter is of particular importance for remote fear memories as they lie at the core of stress- and anxiety-related disorders. Recently, we have found that in the dentate gyrus, the effective attenuation of remote fear memories is accompanied by a reactivation of memory recall-induced neurons and that the continued activity of these neurons is critical for fear reduction. However, whether this also applies to other brain areas implicated in the storage of remote fear memories remains to be determined. Here, we show-by cellular compartment analysis of temporal activity using fluorescence in situ hybridization-that such reactivation also occurs in the basolateral amygdala and the infralimbic cortex, two brain areas known to be involved in fear memory attenuation. These results provide further experimental support for effective traumatic memory attenuation likely being mediated by an updating of the original fear trace towards safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ossama Khalaf
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Gräff
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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86
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Raber J, Arzy S, Bertolus JB, Depue B, Haas HE, Hofmann SG, Kangas M, Kensinger E, Lowry CA, Marusak HA, Minnier J, Mouly AM, Mühlberger A, Norrholm SD, Peltonen K, Pinna G, Rabinak C, Shiban Y, Soreq H, van der Kooij MA, Lowe L, Weingast LT, Yamashita P, Boutros SW. Current understanding of fear learning and memory in humans and animal models and the value of a linguistic approach for analyzing fear learning and memory in humans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 105:136-177. [PMID: 30970272 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Fear is an emotion that serves as a driving factor in how organisms move through the world. In this review, we discuss the current understandings of the subjective experience of fear and the related biological processes involved in fear learning and memory. We first provide an overview of fear learning and memory in humans and animal models, encompassing the neurocircuitry and molecular mechanisms, the influence of genetic and environmental factors, and how fear learning paradigms have contributed to treatments for fear-related disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Current treatments as well as novel strategies, such as targeting the perisynaptic environment and use of virtual reality, are addressed. We review research on the subjective experience of fear and the role of autobiographical memory in fear-related disorders. We also discuss the gaps in our understanding of fear learning and memory, and the degree of consensus in the field. Lastly, the development of linguistic tools for assessments and treatment of fear learning and memory disorders is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Raber
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, ONPRC, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Departments of Neurology and Radiation Medicine, and Division of Neuroscience, ONPRC, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
| | - Shahar Arzy
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | | | - Brendan Depue
- Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Haley E Haas
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Stefan G Hofmann
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maria Kangas
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Christopher A Lowry
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Hilary A Marusak
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Jessica Minnier
- School of Public Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Anne-Marie Mouly
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CNRS-UMR 5292, INSERM U1028, Université Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Andreas Mühlberger
- Department of Psychology (Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy), University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany; PFH - Private University of Applied Sciences, Department of Psychology (Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Research), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Seth Davin Norrholm
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kirsi Peltonen
- Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Graziano Pinna
- The Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Christine Rabinak
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Youssef Shiban
- Department of Psychology (Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy), University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany; PFH - Private University of Applied Sciences, Department of Psychology (Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Research), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hermona Soreq
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Edmond and Lily Safra Center of Brain Science and The Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Michael A van der Kooij
- Translational Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universitatsmedizin der Johannes Guttenberg University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Leah T Weingast
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Paula Yamashita
- School of Public Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Sydney Weber Boutros
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, ONPRC, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
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87
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Evans DA, Stempel AV, Vale R, Branco T. Cognitive Control of Escape Behaviour. Trends Cogn Sci 2019; 23:334-348. [PMID: 30852123 PMCID: PMC6438863 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
When faced with potential predators, animals instinctively decide whether there is a threat they should escape from, and also when, how, and where to take evasive action. While escape is often viewed in classical ethology as an action that is released upon presentation of specific stimuli, successful and adaptive escape behaviour relies on integrating information from sensory systems, stored knowledge, and internal states. From a neuroscience perspective, escape is an incredibly rich model that provides opportunities for investigating processes such as perceptual and value-based decision-making, or action selection, in an ethological setting. We review recent research from laboratory and field studies that explore, at the behavioural and mechanistic levels, how elements from multiple information streams are integrated to generate flexible escape behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic A Evans
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, UCL, London, UK; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - A Vanessa Stempel
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, UCL, London, UK; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Ruben Vale
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, UCL, London, UK; These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Tiago Branco
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, UCL, London, UK.
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88
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Chronic corticosterone increases ΔFOSB and CRFR1 immunoreactivity in brain regions that modulate aversive conditioning. Behav Brain Res 2019; 356:107-119. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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89
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Wotjak CT. Sound check, stage design and screen plot - how to increase the comparability of fear conditioning and fear extinction experiments. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:33-48. [PMID: 30470861 PMCID: PMC6373201 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5111-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In the recent decade, fear conditioning has evolved as a standard procedure for testing cognitive abilities such as memory acquisition, consolidation, recall, reconsolidation, and extinction, preferentially in genetically modified mice. The reasons for the popularity of this powerful approach are its ease to perform, the short duration of training and testing, and its well-described neural basis. So why to bother about flaws in standardization of test procedures and analytical routines? Simplicity does not preclude the existence of fallacies. A short survey of the literature revealed an indifferent use of acoustic stimuli in terms of quality (i.e., white noise vs. sine wave), duration, and intensity. The same applies to the shock procedures. In the present article, I will provide evidence for the importance of qualitative and quantitative parameters of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli for the experimental outcome. Moreover, I will challenge frequently applied interpretations of short-term vs. long-term extinction and spontaneous recovery. On the basis of these concerns, I suggest a guideline for standardization of fear conditioning experiments in mice to improve the comparability of the experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten T. Wotjak
- 0000 0000 9497 5095grid.419548.5Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, RG “Neuronal Plasticity”, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
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90
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Abstract
RATIONALE The experience of strong traumata leads to the formation of enduring fear memories that may degenerate into post-traumatic stress disorder. One of the most successful treatments for this condition consists of extinction training during which the repeated exposure to trauma-inducing stimuli in a safe environment results in an attenuation of the fearful component of trauma-related memories. While numerous studies have investigated the neural substrates of recent (e.g., 1-day-old) fear memory attenuation, much less is known about the neural networks mediating the attenuation of remote (e.g., 30-day-old) fear memories. Since extinction training becomes less effective when applied long after the original encoding of the traumatic memory, this represents an important gap in memory research. OBJECTIVES Here, we aimed to generate a comprehensive map of brain activation upon effective remote fear memory attenuation in the mouse. METHODS We developed an efficient extinction training paradigm for 1-month-old contextual fear memory attenuation and performed cFos immunohistochemistry and network connectivity analyses on a set of cortical, amygdalar, thalamic, and hippocampal regions. RESULTS Remote fear memory attenuation induced cFos in the prelimbic cortex, the basolateral amygdala, the nucleus reuniens of the thalamus, and the ventral fields of the hippocampal CA1 and CA3. All these structures were equally recruited by remote fear memory recall, but not by the recall of a familiar neutral context. CONCLUSION These results suggest that progressive fear attenuation mediated by repetitive exposure is accompanied by sustained neuronal activation and not reverted to a pre-conditioning brain state. These findings contribute to the identification of brain areas as targets for therapeutic approaches against traumatic memories.
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91
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Abstract
Life threatening situations as urgent as defending against a predator precludes the use of slow trial and error strategies. Natural selection has led to the evolution of a behavioral system that has 3 critical elements. 1) When it is activated it limits the behaviors available to the organism to a set of prewired responses that have proven over phylogeny to be effective at defense. 2) A rapid learning system, called Pavlovian fear conditioning, that has the ability to immediately identify threats and promote prewired defensive behaviors. 3) That learning system has the ability to integrate several informational dimensions to determine threat imminence and this allows the organism to match the most effective defensive behavior to the current situation. The adaptive significance of conscious experiential states is also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Fanselow
- Staglin Center for Brain and Behavioral Health, Department of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
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92
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Wang Y, Cao L, Lee CY, Matsuo T, Wu K, Asher G, Tang L, Saitoh T, Russell J, Klewe-Nebenius D, Wang L, Soya S, Hasegawa E, Chérasse Y, Zhou J, Li Y, Wang T, Zhan X, Miyoshi C, Irukayama Y, Cao J, Meeks JP, Gautron L, Wang Z, Sakurai K, Funato H, Sakurai T, Yanagisawa M, Nagase H, Kobayakawa R, Kobayakawa K, Beutler B, Liu Q. Large-scale forward genetics screening identifies Trpa1 as a chemosensor for predator odor-evoked innate fear behaviors. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2041. [PMID: 29795268 PMCID: PMC5966455 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04324-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Innate behaviors are genetically encoded, but their underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Predator odor 2,4,5-trimethyl-3-thiazoline (TMT) and its potent analog 2-methyl-2-thiazoline (2MT) are believed to activate specific odorant receptors to elicit innate fear/defensive behaviors in naive mice. Here, we conduct a large-scale recessive genetics screen of ethylnitrosourea (ENU)-mutagenized mice. We find that loss of Trpa1, a pungency/irritancy receptor, diminishes TMT/2MT and snake skin-evoked innate fear/defensive responses. Accordingly, Trpa1 -/- mice fail to effectively activate known fear/stress brain centers upon 2MT exposure, despite their apparent ability to smell and learn to fear 2MT. Moreover, Trpa1 acts as a chemosensor for 2MT/TMT and Trpa1-expressing trigeminal ganglion neurons contribute critically to 2MT-evoked freezing. Our results indicate that Trpa1-mediated nociception plays a crucial role in predator odor-evoked innate fear/defensive behaviors. The work establishes the first forward genetics screen to uncover the molecular mechanism of innate fear, a basic emotion and evolutionarily conserved survival mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibing Wang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, 102206, Beijing, China
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Liqin Cao
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Chia-Ying Lee
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Tomohiko Matsuo
- Functional Neuroscience Lab, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Osaka, 573-1010, Japan
| | - Kejia Wu
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, 102206, Beijing, China
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Greg Asher
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Lijun Tang
- Functional Neuroscience Lab, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Osaka, 573-1010, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Saitoh
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Jamie Russell
- Center for Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Daniela Klewe-Nebenius
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Shingo Soya
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Emi Hasegawa
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Yoan Chérasse
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Jiamin Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Yuwenbin Li
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Tao Wang
- Center for Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Xiaowei Zhan
- Center for Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Chika Miyoshi
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Yoko Irukayama
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Jie Cao
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Julian P Meeks
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Laurent Gautron
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Katsuyasu Sakurai
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Hiromasa Funato
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Ota-Ku, Tokyo, 143-8540, Japan
| | - Takeshi Sakurai
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Masashi Yanagisawa
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
- Life Science Center, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nagase
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Reiko Kobayakawa
- Functional Neuroscience Lab, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Osaka, 573-1010, Japan
| | - Ko Kobayakawa
- Functional Neuroscience Lab, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Osaka, 573-1010, Japan.
| | - Bruce Beutler
- Center for Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
| | - Qinghua Liu
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, 102206, Beijing, China.
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
- Center for Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.
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93
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Kingston RC, Smith M, Lacey T, Edwards M, Best JN, Markham CM. Voluntary exercise increases resilience to social defeat stress in Syrian hamsters. Physiol Behav 2018; 188:194-198. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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94
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Gagnon C, Bégin C, Laflamme V, Grondin S. Temporal Processing of Joyful and Disgusting Food Pictures by Women With an Eating Disorder. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:129. [PMID: 29681806 PMCID: PMC5897655 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study used the presentation of food pictures and judgements about their duration to assess the emotions elicited by food in women suffering from an eating disorder (ED). Twenty-three women diagnosed with an ED, namely anorexia (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN), and 23 healthy controls (HC) completed a temporal bisection task and a duration discrimination task. Intervals were marked with emotionally pre-rated pictures of joyful and disgusting food, and pictures of neutral objects. The results showed that, in the bisection task, AN women overestimated the duration of food pictures in comparison to neutral ones. Also, compared to participants with BN, they perceived the duration of joyful food pictures as longer, and tended to overestimate the duration of the disgusting ones. These effects on perceived duration suggest that AN women experienced an intense reaction of fear when they were confronted to food pictures. More precisely, by having elevated the arousal level and activated the defensive system, food pictures seemed to have speeded up the rhythm of the AN participants’ internal clock, which led to an overestimation of images’ duration. In addition, the results revealed that, in both tasks, ED women presented a lower temporal sensitivity than HC, which was related to their ED symptomatology (i.e., BMI, restraint and concern) and, particularly, to their weaker cognitive abilities in terms of attention, processing speed and working memory. Considered all together, the findings of the present experiment highlight the role of fear and anxiety in the manifestations of AN and point out the importance of considering non-temporal factors in the interpretation of time perception performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Simon Grondin
- École de Psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
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95
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LeDoux J, Daw ND. Surviving threats: neural circuit and computational implications of a new taxonomy of defensive behaviour. Nat Rev Neurosci 2018; 19:269-282. [PMID: 29593300 DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2018.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Research on defensive behaviour in mammals has in recent years focused on elicited reactions; however, organisms also make active choices when responding to danger. We propose a hierarchical taxonomy of defensive behaviour on the basis of known psychological processes. Included are three categories of reactions (reflexes, fixed reactions and habits) and three categories of goal-directed actions (direct action-outcome behaviours and actions based on implicit or explicit forecasting of outcomes). We then use this taxonomy to guide a summary of findings regarding the underlying neural circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph LeDoux
- Center for Neural Science and Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical School, New York, NY, USA.,Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatry Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Nathaniel D Daw
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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96
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Divergent midbrain circuits orchestrate escape and freezing responses to looming stimuli in mice. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1232. [PMID: 29581428 PMCID: PMC5964329 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03580-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals respond to environmental threats, e.g. looming visual stimuli, with innate defensive behaviors such as escape and freezing. The key neural circuits that participate in the generation of such dimorphic defensive behaviors remain unclear. Here we show that the dimorphic behavioral patterns triggered by looming visual stimuli are mediated by parvalbumin-positive (PV+) projection neurons in mouse superior colliculus (SC). Two distinct groups of SC PV+ neurons form divergent pathways to transmit threat-relevant visual signals to neurons in the parabigeminal nucleus (PBGN) and lateral posterior thalamic nucleus (LPTN). Activations of PV+ SC-PBGN and SC-LPTN pathways mimic the dimorphic defensive behaviors. The PBGN and LPTN neurons are co-activated by looming visual stimuli. Bilateral inactivation of either nucleus results in the defensive behavior dominated by the other nucleus. Together, these data suggest that the SC orchestrates dimorphic defensive behaviors through two separate tectofugal pathways that may have interactions. In response to environmental threats, such as visual looming stimuli, mice either freeze or escape. Here the authors demonstrate that these two behaviors are mediated by separate tectofugal pathways formed by parvalbumin-positive neurons in the superior colliculus.
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97
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Nasanbuyan N, Yoshida M, Takayanagi Y, Inutsuka A, Nishimori K, Yamanaka A, Onaka T. Oxytocin-Oxytocin Receptor Systems Facilitate Social Defeat Posture in Male Mice. Endocrinology 2018; 159:763-775. [PMID: 29186377 DOI: 10.1210/en.2017-00606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Social stress has deteriorating effects on various psychiatric diseases. In animal models, exposure to socially dominant conspecifics (i.e., social defeat stress) evokes a species-specific defeat posture via unknown mechanisms. Oxytocin neurons have been shown to be activated by stressful stimuli and to have prosocial and anxiolytic actions. The roles of oxytocin during social defeat stress remain unclear. Expression of c-Fos, a marker of neuronal activation, in oxytocin neurons and in oxytocin receptor‒expressing neurons was investigated in mice. The projection of oxytocin neurons was examined with an anterograde viral tracer, which induces selective expression of membrane-targeted palmitoylated green fluorescent protein in oxytocin neurons. Defensive behaviors during double exposure to social defeat stress in oxytocin receptor‒deficient mice were analyzed. After social defeat stress, expression of c-Fos protein was increased in oxytocin neurons of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, supraoptic nucleus, and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus. Expression of c-Fos protein was also increased in oxytocin receptor‒expressing neurons of brain regions, including the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray. Projecting fibers from paraventricular hypothalamic oxytocin neurons were found in the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus and in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray. Oxytocin receptor‒deficient mice showed reduced defeat posture during the second social defeat stress. These findings suggest that social defeat stress activates oxytocin-oxytocin receptor systems, and the findings are consistent with the view that activation of the oxytocin receptor in brain regions, including the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus and the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, facilitates social defeat posture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naranbat Nasanbuyan
- Division of Brain and Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan
| | - Masahide Yoshida
- Division of Brain and Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan
| | - Yuki Takayanagi
- Division of Brain and Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan
| | - Ayumu Inutsuka
- Division of Brain and Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Nishimori
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken, Japan
| | - Akihiro Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, Japan
| | - Tatsushi Onaka
- Division of Brain and Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan
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98
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Rale A, Shendye N, Bodas DS, Subhedar N, Ghose A. CART neuropeptide modulates the extended amygdalar CeA-vBNST circuit to gate expression of innate fear. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 85:69-77. [PMID: 28825977 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Innate fear is critical for the survival of animals and is under tight homeostatic control. Deregulation of innate fear processing is thought to underlie pathological phenotypes including, phobias and panic disorders. Although central processing of conditioned fear has been extensively studied, the circuitry and regulatory mechanisms subserving innate fear remain relatively poorly defined. In this study, we identify cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) neuropeptide signaling in the central amygdala (CeA) - ventral bed nucleus of stria terminalis (vBNST) axis as a key modulator of innate fear expression. 2,4,5-trimethyl-3-thiazoline (TMT), a component of fox faeces, induces a freezing response whose intensity is regulated by the extent of CART-signaling in the CeA neurons. Abrogation of CART activity in the CeA attenuates the freezing response and reduces activation of vBNST neurons. Conversely, ectopically elevated CART signaling in the CeA potentiates the fear response concomitant with enhanced vBNST activation. We show that local levels of CART signaling modulate the activation of CeA neurons by NMDA receptor-mediated glutamatergic inputs, in turn, regulating activity in the vBNST. This study identifies the extended amygdalar CeA-vBNST circuit as a CART modulated axis encoding innate fear. CART signaling regulates the glutamatergic excitatory drive in the CeA-vBNST circuit, in turn, gating the expression of the freezing response to TMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Rale
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Ninad Shendye
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Devika S Bodas
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Nishikant Subhedar
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India.
| | - Aurnab Ghose
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India.
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99
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Garcia R. Neurobiology of fear and specific phobias. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 24:462-471. [PMID: 28814472 PMCID: PMC5580526 DOI: 10.1101/lm.044115.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Fear, which can be expressed innately or after conditioning, is triggered when a danger or a stimulus predicting immediate danger is perceived. Its role is to prepare the body to face this danger. However, dysfunction in fear processing can lead to psychiatric disorders in which fear outweighs the danger or possibility of harm. Although recognized as highly debilitating, pathological fear remains insufficiently treated, indicating the importance of research on fear processing. The neurobiological basis of normal and pathological fear reactions is reviewed in this article. Innate and learned fear mechanisms, particularly those involving the amygdala, are considered. These fear mechanisms are also distinguished in specific phobias, which can indeed be nonexperiential (implicating innate, learning-independent mechanisms) or experiential (implicating learning-dependent mechanisms). Poor habituation and poor extinction are presented as dysfunctional mechanisms contributing to persistence of nonexperiential and experiential phobias, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- René Garcia
- Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, UMR7289, Aix Marseille Université & Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 13385 Marseille, France
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100
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Social, proximal and conditioned threat. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 142:236-243. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Revised: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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