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Medina A, Torres J, Kazama AM, Bachevalier J, Raper J. Emotional responses in monkeys differ depending on the stimulus type, sex, and neonatal amygdala lesion status. Behav Neurosci 2020; 134:153-165. [PMID: 32175761 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The amygdala plays an essential role in evaluating social information, threat detection, and learning fear associations. Yet, most of that knowledge comes from studies in adult humans and animals with a fully developed amygdala. Given the considerable protracted postnatal development of the amygdala, it is important to understand how early damage to this structure may impact the long-term development of behavior. The current study examined behavioral responses toward social, innate, or learned aversive stimuli among neonatal amygdala lesion (Neo-Aibo; males = 3, females = 3) or sham-operated control (Neo-C; males = 3, females = 4) rhesus macaques. Compared with controls, Neo-Aibo animals exhibited less emotional reactivity toward aversive objects, including faster retrieval of food reward, fewer fearful responses, and more manipulation of objects. This lower reactivity was only seen in response to social and innate aversive stimuli, whereas Neo-Aibo animals had similar responses to controls for learned aversive stimuli. The current study also detected sex differences in behavioral response to aversive stimuli, such that, as compared with males, females took longer to retrieve the food reward across all aversive stimuli types, but only expressed more hostility and more coo vocalizations during learned aversive trials. Early amygdala damage impacted the expression of some, but not all, sex differences. For example, neonatal amygdala damage eliminated the sex difference in object manipulation. These findings add important information that broaden our understanding of the role of the amygdala in the expression of sexually dimorphic behaviors, as well as its role in learning fear associations and threat detection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jessica Raper
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University
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52
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Duque-Wilckens N, Torres LY, Yokoyama S, Minie VA, Tran AM, Petkova SP, Hao R, Ramos-Maciel S, Rios RA, Jackson K, Flores-Ramirez FJ, Garcia-Carachure I, Pesavento PA, Iñiguez SD, Grinevich V, Trainor BC. Extrahypothalamic oxytocin neurons drive stress-induced social vigilance and avoidance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020. [PMID: 33020267 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011890117/suppl_file/pnas.2011890117.sm01.mp4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin increases the salience of both positive and negative social contexts and it is thought that these diverse actions on behavior are mediated in part through circuit-specific action. This hypothesis is based primarily on manipulations of oxytocin receptor function, leaving open the question of whether different populations of oxytocin neurons mediate different effects on behavior. Here we inhibited oxytocin synthesis in a stress-sensitive population of oxytocin neurons specifically within the medioventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTmv). Oxytocin knockdown prevented social stress-induced increases in social vigilance and decreases in social approach. Viral tracing of BNSTmv oxytocin neurons revealed fibers in regions controlling defensive behaviors, including lateral hypothalamus, anterior hypothalamus, and anteromedial BNST (BNSTam). Oxytocin infusion into BNSTam in stress naïve mice increased social vigilance and reduced social approach. These results show that a population of extrahypothalamic oxytocin neurons plays a key role in controlling stress-induced social anxiety behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Duque-Wilckens
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
| | - Lisette Y Torres
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Sae Yokoyama
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Vanessa A Minie
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Amy M Tran
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Stela P Petkova
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Rebecca Hao
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | | | - Roberto A Rios
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Kenneth Jackson
- Department of Pathobiology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | | | | | - Patricia A Pesavento
- Department of Pathobiology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Sergio D Iñiguez
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79902
| | - Valery Grinevich
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Brian C Trainor
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616;
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Extrahypothalamic oxytocin neurons drive stress-induced social vigilance and avoidance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:26406-26413. [PMID: 33020267 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011890117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin increases the salience of both positive and negative social contexts and it is thought that these diverse actions on behavior are mediated in part through circuit-specific action. This hypothesis is based primarily on manipulations of oxytocin receptor function, leaving open the question of whether different populations of oxytocin neurons mediate different effects on behavior. Here we inhibited oxytocin synthesis in a stress-sensitive population of oxytocin neurons specifically within the medioventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTmv). Oxytocin knockdown prevented social stress-induced increases in social vigilance and decreases in social approach. Viral tracing of BNSTmv oxytocin neurons revealed fibers in regions controlling defensive behaviors, including lateral hypothalamus, anterior hypothalamus, and anteromedial BNST (BNSTam). Oxytocin infusion into BNSTam in stress naïve mice increased social vigilance and reduced social approach. These results show that a population of extrahypothalamic oxytocin neurons plays a key role in controlling stress-induced social anxiety behaviors.
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Awasthi S, Pan H, LeDoux JE, Cloitre M, Altemus M, McEwen B, Silbersweig D, Stern E. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and functionally linked neurocircuitry modulate emotion processing and HPA axis dysfunction in posttraumatic stress disorder. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 28:102442. [PMID: 33070099 PMCID: PMC7569227 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Task-based functional cooccurrence (tbFC) elucidates role of BNST in human PTSD neurocircuitry. The BNST is hyperactive during the processing of trauma-related words in PTSD. BNST activity correlates to PTSD symptom severity and reduced diurnal cortisol index. The BNST has positive tbFC with negative emotion- and stress-related neurocircuitry. The BNST has negative tbFC with executive function and stress regulation neurocircuitry.
Background The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) plays an important role in rodent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but evidence to support its relevance to human PTSD is limited. We sought to understand the role of the BNST in human PTSD via fMRI, behavioral, and physiological measurements. Methods 29 patients with PTSD (childhood sexual abuse) and 23 healthy controls (HC) underwent BOLD imaging with an emotional word paradigm. Symptom severity was assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale and HPA-axis dysfunction was assessed by measuring the diurnal cortisol amplitude index (DCAI). A data-driven multivariate analysis was used to determine BNST task-based functional co-occurrence (tbFC) across individuals. Results In the trauma-versus-neutral word contrast, patients showed increased activation compared to HC in the BNST, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG), caudate heads, and midbrain, and decreased activation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Symptom severity positively correlated with activity in the BNST, caudate head, amygdala, hippocampus, dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus (dACG), and PCG, and negatively with activity in the medial orbiotofrontal cortex (mOFC) and DLPFC. Patients and HC showed marked differences in the relationship between the DCAI and BOLD activity in the BNST, septal nuclei, dACG, and PCG. Patients showed stronger tbFC between the BNST and closely linked limbic and subcortical regions, and a loss of negative tbFC between the BNST and DLPFC. Conclusions Based upon novel data, we present a new model of dysexecutive emotion processing and HPA-axis dysfunction in human PTSD that incorporates the role of the BNST and functionally linked neurocircuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Awasthi
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hong Pan
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph E LeDoux
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marylene Cloitre
- National Center for PTSD, Veteran Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Margaret Altemus
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - David Silbersweig
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Emily Stern
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Song SY, Zhai XM, Dai JH, Lu LL, Shan CJ, Hong J, Cao JL, Zhang LC. Novel Projections to the Cerebrospinal Fluid-Contacting Nucleus From the Subcortex and Limbic System in Rat. Front Neuroanat 2020; 14:57. [PMID: 32973466 PMCID: PMC7468392 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2020.00057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: To identify the novel projections received by the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-contacting nucleus from the subcortex and limbic system to understand the biological functions of the nucleus. Methods: The cholera toxin subunit B (CB), a retrograde tracer, was injected into the CSF-contacting nucleus in Sprague–Dawley rats. After 7–10 days, the surviving rats were perfused, and the whole brain and spinal cord were sliced for CB immunofluorescence detection. The CB-positive neurons in the subcortex and limbic system were observed under a fluorescence microscope, followed by 3D reconstructed with the imaris software. Results: CB-positive neurons were found in the basal forebrain, septum, periventricular organs, preoptic area, and amygdaloid structures. Five functional areas including 46 sub-regions sent projections to the CSF-contacting nucleus. However, the projections had different densities, ranging from sparse to moderate, to dense. Conclusions: According to the projections from the subcortex and limbic system, we hypothesize that the CSF-contacting nucleus participates in emotion, cognition, homeostasis regulation, visceral activity, pain, and addiction. In this study, we illustrate the novel projections from the subcortex and limbic system to the CSF-contacting nucleus, which underlies the diverse and complicated circuits of the nucleus in body regulations.
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Jaramillo A, Williford K, Marshall C, Winder D, Centanni S. BNST transient activity associates with approach behavior in a stressful environment and is modulated by the parabrachial nucleus. Neurobiol Stress 2020; 13:100247. [PMID: 33344702 PMCID: PMC7739036 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies demonstrate a role for the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in modulating affective behavior and stress-reward integration. To explore the dynamic nature of in vivo BNST activity associated with anxiety-like behavior in a stress-inducing context, we utilized fiber photometry and detected BNST calcium transients in mice during the novelty-suppressed feeding task (NSFT). Phasic BNST activity emerged time-locked to novel object or food pellet approach during NSFT. The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) has a large input to the BNST and is thought to function as a danger signal, in arousal responses and in feeding behavior. To explore a potential role for the PBN as a contributor to BNST activity in NSFT, we investigated whether chemogenetic regulation of PBN activity altered the dynamic BNST response synchronized to NSFT approach behavior. We found that activation of the hM3D(Gq) DREADD in the PBN enhanced the observed transient signal in the BNST synchronized to the consummatory food approach, and was associated at the behavioral level with increased latency to consume food. Because the PBN has multiple efferent pathways, we next used a transsynaptic anterograde AAV-based strategy to express hM3D(Gq) specifically in PBN-innervated BNST (BNSTPBN) neurons in male and female mice. Activation of hM3D(Gq) in these BNSTPBN neurons increased latency to consume food in female, but not male mice. To further explore the population of BNST neurons contributing to phasic BNST activity associated with NSFT, we turned to PKCδ neurons in BNST. BNST(PKCδ) neurons are implicated in stress and food-related behavior, and we previously found that the expression of this kinase is regulated in the BNST by stress in a sex-dependent manner. Here, we demonstrate close apposition of CGRP, a marker of PBN terminals, adjacent to BNST(PKCδ) cells. Finally, we find that PKCδ-expressing BNST cells exhibit a large transient signal synchronized to the consummatory food approach similar to that seen with bulk BNST activity measures. Taken together these data demonstrate phasic BNST activity at a global and cell-specific level that is driven in part by PBN activity at the time of NSFT consummatory approach behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- A.A. Jaramillo
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Dept. Mol. Phys. & Biophysics, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - K.M. Williford
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - C. Marshall
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Dept. Mol. Phys. & Biophysics, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - D.G. Winder
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Dept. Mol. Phys. & Biophysics, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Nashville, TN, USA
- Corresponding author. 875A Light Hall, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
| | - S.W. Centanni
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Dept. Mol. Phys. & Biophysics, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, USA
- Corresponding author. 865 Light Hall, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
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NMDA receptors in the CeA and BNST differentially regulate fear conditioning to predictable and unpredictable threats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 174:107281. [PMID: 32721480 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Considerable work demonstrates that Pavlovian fear conditioning depends on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent plasticity within the amygdala. In addition, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has also been implicated in fear conditioning, particularly in the expression of fear to poor predictors of threat. We recently found that the expression of backward (BW) fear conditioning, in which an auditory conditioned stimulus (CS) follows a footshock unconditioned stimulus (US), requires the BNST; the expression of forward (FW) fear conditioning was not disrupted by BNST inactivation. However, whether NMDA receptors within the BNST contribute to the acquisition of fear conditioning is unknown. Moreover, the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), which has extensive connections with the BNST, is critically involved in FW conditioning, however whether it participates in BW conditioning has not been explored. Here we test the specific hypothesis that the CeA and the BNST mediate the acquisition of FW and BW fear conditioning, respectively. Adult female and male rats were randomly assigned to receive bilateral infusions of the NMDA receptor antagonist, D,L-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV), into the CeA or BNST prior to FW or BW fear conditioning. We found that intra-CeA APV impaired the acquisition of both FW and BW conditioning, whereas intra-BNST APV produced selective deficits in BW conditioning. Moreover, APV in the BNST significantly reduced contextual freezing, whereas CeA NMDA receptor antagonism impeded early but not long-lasting contextual fear. Collectively, these data reveal that CeA and BNST NMDA receptors have unique roles in fear conditioning.
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58
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Luyck K, Arckens L, Nuttin B, Luyten L. It takes two: Bilateral bed nuclei of the stria terminalis mediate the expression of contextual fear, but not of moderate cued fear. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 101:109920. [PMID: 32169558 PMCID: PMC7611861 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of research supports a prominent role for the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) in the expression of adaptive and perhaps even pathological anxiety. The traditional premise that the BST is required for long-duration responses to threats, but not for fear responses to distinct, short-lived cues may, however, be oversimplified. A thorough evaluation of the involvement of the BST in cued and contextual fear is therefore warranted. In a series of preregistered experiments using male Wistar rats, we first addressed the involvement of the BST in cued fear. Following up on earlier work where we found that BST lesions disrupted auditory fear while the animals were in a rather high stress state, we here show that the BST is not required for the expression of more specific fear for the tone under less stressful conditions. In the second part, we corroborate that the same lesion method does attenuate contextual fear. Furthermore, despite prior indications for an asymmetric recruitment of the BST during the expression of anxiety, we found that bilateral lesioning of the BST is required for a significant attenuation of the expression of contextual fear. A functional BST in only one hemisphere resulted in increased variability in the behavioral outcome. We conclude that, in animals that acquired a fear memory with an intact brain, the bilateral BST mediates the expression of contextual fear, but not of unambiguous cued fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Luyck
- KU Leuven, Experimental Neurosurgery and Neuroanatomy, UZ Herestraat 49 PB 7003, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lutgarde Arckens
- KU Leuven, Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Naamsestraat PB 2467, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49 PB 1021, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Nuttin
- KU Leuven, Experimental Neurosurgery and Neuroanatomy, UZ Herestraat 49 PB 7003, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Laura Luyten
- KU Leuven, Experimental Neurosurgery and Neuroanatomy, UZ Herestraat 49 PB 7003, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49 PB 1021, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Centre for Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Tiensestraat 102 PB 3712, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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59
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Pedersen WS, Muftuler LT, Larson CL. A high-resolution fMRI investigation of BNST and centromedial amygdala activity as a function of affective stimulus predictability, anticipation, and duration. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:1167-1177. [PMID: 31820811 PMCID: PMC7057282 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2018] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Relative to the centromedial amygdala (CM), the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) may exhibit more sustained activation toward threat, sensitivity to unpredictability and activation during anxious anticipation. These factors are often intertwined. For example, greater BNST (vs CM) activation during a block of aversive stimuli may reflect either more sustained activation to the stimuli or greater activation due to the anticipation of upcoming stimuli. To further investigate these questions, we had participants (19 females, 9 males) complete a task adapted from a study conducted by Somerville, Whalen and Kelly in 2013, during high-resolution 7-Tesla fMRI BOLD acquisition. We found a larger response to negative vs neutral blocks (sustained threat) than to images (transient) in the BNST, but not the CM. However, in an additional analysis, we also found BNST, but not CM, activation to the onset of the anticipation period on negative vs neutral trials, possibly contributing to BNST activation across negative blocks. Predictability did not affect CM or BNST activation. These results suggest a BNST role in anxious anticipation and highlight the need for further research clarifying the temporal response characteristics of these regions.
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Emmons R, Sadok T, Rovero NG, Belnap MA, Henderson HJM, Quan AJ, Del Toro NJ, Halladay LR. Chemogenetic manipulation of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis counteracts social behavioral deficits induced by early life stress in C57BL/6J mice. J Neurosci Res 2020; 99:90-109. [PMID: 32476178 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Trauma during critical periods of development can induce long-lasting adverse effects. To study neural aberrations resulting from early life stress (ELS), many studies utilize rodent maternal separation, whereby pups are intermittently deprived of maternal care necessary for proper development. This can produce adulthood behavioral deficits related to anxiety, reward, and social behavior. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) encodes aspects of anxiety-like and social behaviors, and also undergoes developmental maturation during the early postnatal period, rendering it vulnerable to effects of ELS. Mice underwent maternal separation (separation 4 hr/day during postnatal day (PD)2-5 and 8 hr/day on PD6-16) with early weaning on PD17, which induced behavioral deficits in adulthood performance on two-part social interaction task designed to test social motivation (choice between a same-sex novel conspecific or an empty cup) and social novelty preference (choice between the original-novel conspecific vs. a new-novel conspecific). We used chemogenetics to non-selectively silence or activate neurons in the BNST to examine its role in social motivation and social novelty preference, in mice with or without the history of ELS. Manipulation of BNST produced differing social behavior effects in non-stressed versus ELS mice; social motivation was decreased in non-stressed mice following BNST activation, but unchanged following BNST silencing, while ELS mice showed no change in social behavior after BNST activation, but exhibited enhancement of social motivation-for which they were deficient prior-following BNST silencing. Findings emphasize the BNST as a potential therapeutic target for social anxiety disorders instigated by childhood trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randi Emmons
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA
| | - Tasneem Sadok
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA
| | - Natalie G Rovero
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA
| | - Malia A Belnap
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA
| | | | - Alex J Quan
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA
| | - Noël J Del Toro
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA
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Bas-Hoogendam JM, Westenberg PM. Imaging the socially-anxious brain: recent advances and future prospects. F1000Res 2020; 9:F1000 Faculty Rev-230. [PMID: 32269760 PMCID: PMC7122428 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.21214.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is serious psychiatric condition with a genetic background. Insight into the neurobiological alterations underlying the disorder is essential to develop effective interventions that could relieve SAD-related suffering. In this expert review, we consider recent neuroimaging work on SAD. First, we focus on new results from magnetic resonance imaging studies dedicated to outlining biomarkers of SAD, including encouraging findings with respect to structural and functional brain alterations associated with the disorder. Furthermore, we highlight innovative studies in the field of neuroprediction and studies that established the effects of treatment on brain characteristics. Next, we describe novel work aimed to delineate endophenotypes of SAD, providing insight into the genetic susceptibility to develop the disorder. Finally, we outline outstanding questions and point out directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam
- Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, c/o LUMC, postzone C2-S, P.O.Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - P. Michiel Westenberg
- Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, c/o LUMC, postzone C2-S, P.O.Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
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Beyeler A, Dabrowska J. Neuronal diversity of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 26:63-100. [PMID: 32792868 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-815134-1.00003-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Beyeler
- Neurocentre Magendie, French National Institutes of Health (INSERM) unit 1215, Neurocampus of Bordeaux University, Bordeaux, France
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
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63
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Williams AR, Lattal KM. Involvement of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in initial conditioning and rapid reconditioning following extinction of contextual fear. Behav Neurosci 2020; 134:177-186. [PMID: 32134301 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Although a great deal is known about neurobiological mechanisms of initial conditioning and extinction, relatively little is known about mechanisms involved in the return of behavior following extinction. In this article, we examine the effects of temporarily inactivating the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) on initial conditioning and postextinction reconditioning. We investigate effects in unsignaled contextual fear conditioning, in which animals initially receive strong contextual conditioning, followed by three sessions of nonreinforced context exposure (extinction), and then receive a single context-shock reconditioning trial. In 2 experiments with male Long Evans rats, we evaluated the effects of delivery of a muscimol/baclofen cocktail to the BNST prior to initial conditioning or reconditioning. In Experiment 1, we found that a single context-shock pairing results in more freezing following extinction than when it is the initial conditioning trial. This rapid reconditioning effect was impaired by BNST inactivation. In Experiment 2, we found that BNST inactivation also causes a deficit in freezing after strong initial conditioning. These findings suggest that the BNST is involved in both initial conditioning and postextinction reconditioning. We discuss implications of these findings for current thinking about BNST function in learning and memory processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Bjorni M, Rovero NG, Yang ER, Holmes A, Halladay LR. Phasic signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis during fear learning predicts within- and across-session cued fear expression. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 27:83-90. [PMID: 32071254 PMCID: PMC7029722 DOI: 10.1101/lm.050807.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
While results from many past studies have implicated the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in mediating the expression of sustained negative affect, recent studies have highlighted a more complex role for BNST that includes aspects of fear learning in addition to defensive responding. As BNST is thought to encode ambiguous or unpredictable threat, it seems plausible that it may be involved in encoding early cued fear learning, especially immediately following a first tone-shock pairing when the conditioned stimulus–unconditioned stimulus (CS–US) contingency is not fully apparent. To investigate this, we conducted in vivo electrophysiological recording studies to examine neural dynamics of BNST units during cued fear acquisition and recall. We identified two functionally distinct subpopulations of BNST neurons that encode the intertrial interval (ITI) and may contribute to within- and across-session fear learning. “Ramping” cell activity during cued fear acquisition parallels the increase in freezing expression as mice learn the CS–US contingency, while “Phasic” cells encode postshock (USpost) periods (30 sec following encounter with footshock) only during early trials. Importantly, the magnitude of Phasic unit responsivity to the first USpost period predicted not only freezing expression in response to the subsequent CS during acquisition, but also CS freezing evoked 24 h later during CS retrieval. These findings suggest for the first time that BNST activity may serve as an instructive signal during cued fear learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Bjorni
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California 95053, USA
| | - Natalie G Rovero
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California 95053, USA
| | - Elissa R Yang
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California 95053, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland 20852, USA
| | - Lindsay R Halladay
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California 95053, USA.,Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland 20852, USA
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65
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Mobbs D, Headley DB, Ding W, Dayan P. Space, Time, and Fear: Survival Computations along Defensive Circuits. Trends Cogn Sci 2020; 24:228-241. [PMID: 32029360 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Naturalistic observations show that decisions to avoid or escape predators occur at different spatiotemporal scales and that they are supported by different computations and neural circuits. At their extremes, proximal threats are addressed by a limited repertoire of reflexive and myopic actions, reflecting reduced decision and state spaces and model-free (MF) architectures. Conversely, distal threats allow increased information processing supported by model-based (MB) operations, including affective prospection, replay, and planning. However, MF and MB computations are often intertwined, and under conditions of safety the foundations for future effective reactive execution can be laid through MB instruction of MF control. Together, these computations are associated with distinct population codes embedded within a distributed defensive circuitry whose goal is to determine and realize the best policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean Mobbs
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Neural Systems Program at the California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Drew B Headley
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University - Newark, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Weilun Ding
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Peter Dayan
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; The University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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66
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Hamm AO. Fear, anxiety, and their disorders from the perspective of psychophysiology. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13474. [PMID: 31529522 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 09/18/2024]
Abstract
Psychophysiology is a central hub connecting neurobiological and behavioral domains with clinical science, thus providing ideal tools for increasing the understanding of mental disorders beyond the level of symptom reports. The present article provides an overview of how psychophysiological research can contribute toward efforts directed at an improved understanding of anxiety disorders. Starting with the behavioral domain, it is demonstrated that defensive behaviors are fundamental to anxiety disorders and that these behaviors are dynamically organized depending upon the proximity of a specific threat. The next section reviews neural networks that are activated during the encoding of threat-relevant information and during the organization of the cascade of defensive responses, including how passive avoidance might be conceptualized within a neurobehavioral framework. The last section addresses the translation of these behavioral and neuronal findings from experimental psychopathology research to clinical populations. Finally, evidence is presented to support how behavioral approaches may be helpful in predicting treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfons O Hamm
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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67
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Goode TD, Acca GM, Maren S. Threat imminence dictates the role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in contextual fear. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 167:107116. [PMID: 31740383 PMCID: PMC6980749 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.107116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2019] [Revised: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Recent work indicates that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is critically involved in the regulation of conditioned fear responses to unpredictable threats. Here we examined whether the involvement of the BNST in contextual fear conditioning in male rats depends on the imminence of shock after placement in the conditioning chamber. Specifically, we hypothesized that the BNST supports contextual freezing after conditioning with delayed, but not imminent, footshock (relative to placement in the context). Rats were implanted with cannulae targeting the BNST and underwent a contextual fear conditioning procedure in which a single footshock unconditioned stimulus (US) was delivered either 1 min or 9 min after the rat was placed in the context; the rats received a total of four identical conditioning sessions over two days, all with equivalent exposure to the context. Contexts associated with either imminent or delayed US onsets produced distinct patterns of freezing and shock-induced activity but freezing in each case was context-dependent. Reversible inactivation of the BNST reduced the expression of contextual freezing in the context paired with delayed (9 min), but not imminent (1 min), footshock onset. Implications of these data are discussed in the light of recent conceptualizations of BNST function, as well as for anxiety behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis D Goode
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, USA
| | - Gillian M Acca
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3474, USA.
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68
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Weis CN, Huggins AA, Bennett KP, Parisi EA, Larson CL. High-Resolution Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Extended Amygdala. Brain Connect 2019; 9:627-637. [DOI: 10.1089/brain.2019.0688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Carissa N. Weis
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Ashley A. Huggins
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Kenneth P. Bennett
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Elizabeth A. Parisi
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Christine L. Larson
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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69
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Williams AR, Kim ES, Lattal KM. Behavioral and immunohistochemical characterization of rapid reconditioning following extinction of contextual fear. Learn Mem 2019; 26:1-16. [PMID: 31527183 PMCID: PMC6749931 DOI: 10.1101/lm.048439.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental property of extinction is that the behavior that is suppressed during extinction can be unmasked through a number of postextinction procedures. Of the commonly studied unmasking procedures (spontaneous recovery, reinstatement, contextual renewal, and rapid reacquisition), rapid reacquisition is the only approach that allows a direct comparison between the impact of a conditioning trial before or after extinction. Thus, it provides an opportunity to evaluate the ways in which extinction changes a subsequent learning experience. In five experiments, we investigate the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of postextinction reconditioning. We show that rapid reconditioning of unsignaled contextual fear after extinction in male Long-Evans rats is associative and not affected by the number or duration of extinction sessions that we examined. We then evaluate c-Fos expression and histone acetylation (H4K8) in the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. We find that in general, initial conditioning has a stronger impact on c-Fos expression and acetylation than does reconditioning after extinction. We discuss implications of these results for theories of extinction and the neurobiology of conditioning and extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy R Williams
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - Earnest S Kim
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - K Matthew Lattal
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
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70
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Keiser AA, Wood MA. Examining the contribution of histone modification to sex differences in learning and memory. Learn Mem 2019; 26:318-331. [PMID: 31416905 PMCID: PMC6699407 DOI: 10.1101/lm.048850.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The epigenome serves as a signal integration platform that encodes information from experience and environment that adds tremendous complexity to the regulation of transcription required for memory, beyond the directions encoded in the genome. To date, our understanding of how epigenetic mechanisms integrate information to regulate gene expression required for memory is primarily obtained from male derived data despite sex-specific life experiences and sex differences in consolidation and retrieval of memory, and in the molecular mechanisms that mediate these processes. In this review, we examine the contribution of chromatin modification to learning and memory in both sexes. We provide examples of how exposure to a number of internal and external factors influence the epigenome in sex-similar and sex-specific ways that may ultimately impact transcription required for memory processes. We also pose a number of key open questions and identify areas requiring further investigation as we seek to understand how histone modifying mechanisms shape memory in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley A Keiser
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - Marcelo A Wood
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
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71
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Velasco ER, Florido A, Milad MR, Andero R. Sex differences in fear extinction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 103:81-108. [PMID: 31129235 PMCID: PMC6692252 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite the exponential increase in fear research during the last years, few studies have included female subjects in their design. The need to include females arises from the knowledge gap of mechanistic processes underlying the behavioral and neural differences observed in fear extinction. Moreover, the exact contribution of sex and hormones in relation to learning and behavior is still largely unknown. Insights from this field could be beneficial as fear-related disorders are twice as prevalent in women compared to men. Here, we review an up-to-date summary of animal and human studies in adulthood that report sex differences in fear extinction from a structural and functional approach. Furthermore, we describe how these factors could contribute to the observed sex differences in fear extinction during normal and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- E R Velasco
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Florido
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - M R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
| | - R Andero
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain; CIBERSAM, Corporació Sanitaria Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Spain; Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
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72
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Headley DB, Kanta V, Kyriazi P, Paré D. Embracing Complexity in Defensive Networks. Neuron 2019; 103:189-201. [PMID: 31319049 PMCID: PMC6641575 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The neural basis of defensive behaviors continues to attract much interest, not only because they are important for survival but also because their dysregulation may be at the origin of anxiety disorders. Recently, a dominant approach in the field has been the optogenetic manipulation of specific circuits or cell types within these circuits to dissect their role in different defensive behaviors. While the usefulness of optogenetics is unquestionable, we argue that this method, as currently applied, fosters an atomistic conceptualization of defensive behaviors, which hinders progress in understanding the integrated responses of nervous systems to threats. Instead, we advocate for a holistic approach to the problem, including observational study of natural behaviors and their neuronal correlates at multiple sites, coupled to the use of optogenetics, not to globally turn on or off neurons of interest, but to manipulate specific activity patterns hypothesized to regulate defensive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew B Headley
- Center for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University - Newark, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Vasiliki Kanta
- Center for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University - Newark, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; Behavioral and Neural Sciences Graduate Program, Rutgers University - Newark, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Pinelopi Kyriazi
- Center for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University - Newark, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; Behavioral and Neural Sciences Graduate Program, Rutgers University - Newark, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Denis Paré
- Center for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University - Newark, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.
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73
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Ballanger B, Bath KG, Mandairon N. Odorants: a tool to provide nonpharmacological intervention to reduce anxiety during normal and pathological aging. Neurobiol Aging 2019; 82:18-29. [PMID: 31377537 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders represent 1 of the most common classes of psychiatric disorders. In the aging population and for patients with age-related pathology, the percentage of people suffering of anxiety is significantly elevated. Furthermore, anxiety carries with it an increased risk for a variety of age-related medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, cognitive decline, and increased severity of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease. A variety of anxiolytic compounds are available but often carry with them disturbing side effects that impact quality of life. Among nonmedicinal approaches to reducing anxiety, odor diffusion and aromatherapy are the most popular. In this review, we highlight the emerging perspective that the use of odorants may reduce anxiety symptoms or at least potentiate the effect of other anxiolytic approaches and may serve as an alternative form of therapy to deal with anxiety symptoms. Such approaches may be particularly beneficial in aging populations with elevated risk for these disorders. We also discuss potential neural mechanisms underlying the anxiolytic effects of odorants based on work in animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedicte Ballanger
- INSERM, U1028; CNRS, UMR5292; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon F-69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon F-69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, F-69000, France
| | - Kevin G Bath
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence RI 02912, United States
| | - Nathalie Mandairon
- INSERM, U1028; CNRS, UMR5292; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon F-69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon F-69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, F-69000, France.
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74
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Rossetti I, Zambusi L, Maccioni P, Sau R, Provini L, Castelli MP, Gonciarz K, Colombo G, Morara S. Predisposition to Alcohol Drinking and Alcohol Consumption Alter Expression of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide, Neuropeptide Y, and Microglia in Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis in a Subnucleus-Specific Manner. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:158. [PMID: 31114482 PMCID: PMC6502997 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Excessive alcohol consumption is often linked to anxiety states and has a major relay center in the anterior part of bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST). We analyzed the impact of (i) genetic predisposition to high alcohol preference and consumption, and (ii) alcohol intake on anterior BNST, namely anterolateral (AL), anteromedial (AM), and anteroventral (lateral + medial subdivisions: AVl, AVm) subnuclei. We used two rat lines selectively bred for low- and high-alcohol preference and consumption, named Sardinian alcohol-non preferring (sNP) and -preferring (sP), respectively, the latter showing also inherent anxiety-related behaviors. We analyzed the modulation of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP; exerting anxiogenic effects in BNST), neuropeptide Y (NPY; exerting mainly anxiolytic effects), and microglia activation (neuroinflammation marker, thought to increase anxiety). Calcitonin gene-related peptide-immunofluorescent fibers/terminals did not differ between alcohol-naive sP and sNP rats. Fiber/terminal NPY-immunofluorescent intensity was lower in BNST-AM and BNST-AVm of alcohol-naive sP rats. Activation of microglia (revealed by morphological analysis) was decreased in BNST-AM and increased in BNST-AVm of alcohol-naive sP rats. Prolonged (30 consecutive days), voluntary alcohol intake under the homecage 2-bottle “alcohol vs. water” regimen strongly increased CGRP intensity in BNST of sP rats in a subnucleus-specific manner: in BNST-AL, BNST-AVm, and BNST-AM. CGRP area sum, however, decreased in BNST-AM, without changes in other subnuclei. Alcohol consumption increased NPY expression, in a subnucleus-specific manner, in BNST-AL, BNST-AVl, and BNST-AVm. Alcohol consumption increased many size/shapes parameters in microglial cells, indicative of microglia de-activation. Finally, microglia density was increased in ventral anterior BNST (BNST-AVl, BNST-AVm) by alcohol consumption. In conclusion, genetic predisposition of sP rats to high alcohol intake could be in part mediated by anterior BNST subnuclei showing lower NPY expression and differential microglia activation. Alcohol intake in sP rats produced complex subnucleus-specific changes in BNST, affecting CGRP/NPY expression and microglia and leading to hypothesize that these changes might contribute to the anxiolytic effects of voluntarily consumed alcohol repeatedly observed in sP rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Rossetti
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Zambusi
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Maccioni
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Sau
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Milan, Italy
| | - Luciano Provini
- Department of Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - M Paola Castelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Krzysztof Gonciarz
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Giancarlo Colombo
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Morara
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy, Milan, Italy.,Department of Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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75
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Martinon D, Lis P, Roman AN, Tornesi P, Applebey SV, Buechner G, Olivera V, Dabrowska J. Oxytocin receptors in the dorsolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) bias fear learning toward temporally predictable cued fear. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:140. [PMID: 31000694 PMCID: PMC6472379 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0474-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The inability to discriminate between threat and safety is a hallmark of stress-induced psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Dorsolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTdl) is critically involved in the modulation of fear and anxiety, and has been proposed to regulate discrimination between signaled (cued, predictable) and unsignaled (unpredictable) threats. We recently showed that oxytocin receptors (OTRs) in the BNSTdl facilitate acquisition of cued fear measured in a fear-potentiated startle (FPS). In the current study, using in vivo microdialysis in awake male Sprague-Dawley rats, a double immunofluorescence approach with confocal microscopy, as well as retrograde tracing of hypothalamic BNST-projecting OT neurons, we investigated whether fear conditioning activates OT system and modulates OT release. To determine the role of OTR in fear memory formation, we also infused OTR antagonist or OT into the BNSTdl before fear conditioning and measured rats' ability to discriminate between cued (signaled) and non-cued (unsignaled) fear using FPS. In contrast to acute stress (exposure to forced swim stress or foot shocks alone), cued fear conditioning increases OT content in BNSTdl microdialysates. In addition, fear conditioning induces moderate activation of OT neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and robust activation in the supraoptic and accessory nuclei of the hypothalamus. Application of OT into the BNSTdl facilitates fear learning toward signaled, predictable threats, whereas blocking OTR attenuates this effect. We conclude that OTR neurotransmission in the BNSTdl plays a pivotal role in strengthening fear learning of temporally predictable, signaled threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisy Martinon
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - Paulina Lis
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - Alexandra N. Roman
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - Patricio Tornesi
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - Sarah V. Applebey
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - Garrett Buechner
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - Valentina Olivera
- 0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA ,0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA ,0000 0004 0388 7807grid.262641.5School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064 USA
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA. .,Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA. .,School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA.
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76
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Miles OW, Maren S. Role of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis in PTSD: Insights From Preclinical Models. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:68. [PMID: 31024271 PMCID: PMC6461014 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) afflicts approximately 8% of the United States population and represents a significant public health burden, but the underlying neural mechanisms of this and other anxiety- and stressor-related disorders are largely unknown. Within the last few decades, several preclinical models of PSTD have been developed to help elucidate the mechanisms underlying dysregulated fear states. One brain area that has emerged as a critical mediator of stress-related behavioral processing in both clinical and laboratory settings is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). The BNST is interconnected with essential emotional processing regions, including prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. It is activated by stressor exposure and undergoes neurochemical and morphological alterations as a result of stressor exposure. Stress-related neuro-peptides including corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) are also abundant in the BNST, further implicating an involvement of BNST in stress responses. Behaviorally, the BNST is critical for acquisition and expression of fear and is well positioned to regulate fear relapse after periods of extinction. Here, we consider the role of the BNST in stress and memory processes in the context of preclinical models of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia W. Miles
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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77
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Goode TD, Ressler RL, Acca GM, Miles OW, Maren S. Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis regulates fear to unpredictable threat signals. eLife 2019; 8:46525. [PMID: 30946011 PMCID: PMC6456295 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has been implicated in conditioned fear and anxiety, but the specific factors that engage the BNST in defensive behaviors are unclear. Here we examined whether the BNST mediates freezing to conditioned stimuli (CSs) that poorly predict the onset of aversive unconditioned stimuli (USs) in rats. Reversible inactivation of the BNST selectively reduced freezing to CSs that poorly signaled US onset (e.g., a backward CS that followed the US), but did not eliminate freezing to forward CSs even when they predicted USs of variable intensity. Additionally, backward (but not forward) CSs selectively increased Fos in the ventral BNST and in BNST-projecting neurons in the infralimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but not in the hippocampus or amygdala. These data reveal that BNST circuits regulate fear to unpredictable threats, which may be critical to the etiology and expression of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis D Goode
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Reed L Ressler
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Gillian M Acca
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Olivia W Miles
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
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78
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Ernst M, Gowin JL, Gaillard C, Philips RT, Grillon C. Sketching the Power of Machine Learning to Decrypt a Neural Systems Model of Behavior. Brain Sci 2019; 9:E67. [PMID: 30897793 PMCID: PMC6468787 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9030067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Uncovering brain-behavior mechanisms is the ultimate goal of neuroscience. A formidable amount of discoveries has been made in the past 50 years, but the very essence of brain-behavior mechanisms still escapes us. The recent exploitation of machine learning (ML) tools in neuroscience opens new avenues for illuminating these mechanisms. A key advantage of ML is to enable the treatment of large data, combing highly complex processes. This essay provides a glimpse of how ML tools could test a heuristic neural systems model of motivated behavior, the triadic neural systems model, which was designed to understand behavioral transitions in adolescence. This essay previews analytic strategies, using fictitious examples, to demonstrate the potential power of ML to decrypt the neural networks of motivated behavior, generically and across development. Of note, our intent is not to provide a tutorial for these analyses nor a pipeline. The ultimate objective is to relate, as simply as possible, how complex neuroscience constructs can benefit from ML methods for validation and further discovery. By extension, the present work provides a guide that can serve to query the mechanisms underlying the contributions of prefrontal circuits to emotion regulation. The target audience concerns mainly clinical neuroscientists. As a caveat, this broad approach leaves gaps, for which references to comprehensive publications are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique Ernst
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety (NFA), National Institute of Mental Health/NIMH, 15K North Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Joshua L Gowin
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Claudie Gaillard
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical & Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Ryan T Philips
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety (NFA), National Institute of Mental Health/NIMH, 15K North Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Christian Grillon
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety (NFA), National Institute of Mental Health/NIMH, 15K North Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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79
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Roles of the Amygdala and Basal Forebrain in Defense: a Reply to Luyck Et al. and Implications for Defensive Action. Neuropsychol Rev 2019; 29:186-189. [PMID: 30888605 PMCID: PMC6560019 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-019-09401-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The commentary by Luyck and colleagues on our paper provides many stimulating viewpoints and interpretations of our original study on dissociable responses in the amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in threat processing. Here, we reply to some of the points raised and while agreeing with most of the comments also provide some alternative viewpoints. We end by putting forward a research agenda for how to further investigate the roles of these regions in threat processing, with an emphasis on studying their roles in defensive action.
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80
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Onaka T, Takayanagi Y. Role of oxytocin in the control of stress and food intake. J Neuroendocrinol 2019; 31:e12700. [PMID: 30786104 PMCID: PMC7217012 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin neurones in the hypothalamus are activated by stressful stimuli and food intake. The oxytocin receptor is located in various brain regions, including the sensory information-processing cerebral cortex; the cognitive information-processing prefrontal cortex; reward-related regions such as the ventral tegmental areas, nucleus accumbens and raphe nucleus; stress-related areas such as the amygdala, hippocampus, ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray; homeostasis-controlling hypothalamus; and the dorsal motor complex controlling intestinal functions. Oxytocin affects behavioural and neuroendocrine stress responses and terminates food intake by acting on the metabolic or nutritional homeostasis system, modulating emotional processing, reducing reward values of food intake, and facilitating sensory and cognitive processing via multiple brain regions. Oxytocin also plays a role in interactive actions between stress and food intake and contributes to adaptive active coping behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsushi Onaka
- Division of Brain and NeurophysiologyDepartment of PhysiologyJichi Medical UniversityShimotsuke‐shiJapan
| | - Yuki Takayanagi
- Division of Brain and NeurophysiologyDepartment of PhysiologyJichi Medical UniversityShimotsuke‐shiJapan
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81
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Fox AS, Shackman AJ. The central extended amygdala in fear and anxiety: Closing the gap between mechanistic and neuroimaging research. Neurosci Lett 2019; 693:58-67. [PMID: 29195911 PMCID: PMC5976525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.11.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders impose a staggering burden on public health, underscoring the need to develop a deeper understanding of the distributed neural circuits underlying extreme fear and anxiety. Recent work highlights the importance of the central extended amygdala, including the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and neighboring bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). Anatomical data indicate that the Ce and BST form a tightly interconnected unit, where different kinds of threat-relevant information can be integrated to assemble states of fear and anxiety. Neuroimaging studies show that the Ce and BST are engaged by a broad spectrum of potentially threat-relevant cues. Mechanistic work demonstrates that the Ce and BST are critically involved in organizing defensive responses to a wide range of threats. Studies in rodents have begun to reveal the specific molecules, cells, and microcircuits within the central extended amygdala that underlie signs of fear and anxiety, but the relevance of these tantalizing discoveries to human experience and disease remains unclear. Using a combination of focal perturbations and whole-brain imaging, a new generation of nonhuman primate studies is beginning to close this gap. This work opens the door to discovering the mechanisms underlying neuroimaging measures linked to pathological fear and anxiety, to understanding how the Ce and BST interact with one another and with distal brain regions to govern defensive responses to threat, and to developing improved intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology and University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
| | - Alexander J Shackman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States; Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland,College Park, MD 20742, United States.
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82
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Single stimulation of Y2 receptors in BNSTav facilitates extinction and dampens reinstatement of fear. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:281-291. [PMID: 30443793 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5080-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Return of fear by re-exposure to an aversive event is a major obstacle in the treatment of fear-related disorders. Recently, we demonstrated that local pharmacological stimulation of neuropeptide Y type 2 receptors (Y2R) in anteroventral bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNSTav) facilitates fear extinction and attenuates retrieval of remote fear with or without concomitant extinction training. Whether Y2R activation could also protect against re-exposure to traumatic events is still unknown. OBJECTIVE Therefore, we investigated reinstatement of remote fear following early Y2R manipulation in BNSTav in relation to concomitant extinction training in mice. METHODS We combined local pharmacological manipulation of Y2Rs in BNSTav with or without extinction training and tested for reinstatement of remote fear 15 days later. Furthermore, we employed immediate early gene mapping to monitor related local brain activation. RESULTS Y2R stimulation by local injection of NPY3-36 into BNSTav facilitated extinction, reduced fear reinstatement at remote stages, and mimicked the influence of extinction in groups without prior extinction training. In contrast, Y2R antagonism (JNJ-5207787) delayed extinction and increased reinstatement. Y2R treatment immediately before remote fear tests had no effect. Concomitantly, Y2R activation at early time points reduced the number of c-Fos positive neurons in BNSTav during testing of reinstated remote fear. CONCLUSION Local Y2R stimulation in BNSTav promotes fear extinction and stabilizes suppression of reinstated fear through a long-term influence, even without extinction training. Thus, Y2Rs in BNST are crucial pharmacological targets for extinction-based remote fear suppression.
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83
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Goode TD, Maren S. Common neurocircuitry mediating drug and fear relapse in preclinical models. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:415-437. [PMID: 30255379 PMCID: PMC6373193 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5024-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comorbidity of anxiety disorders, stressor- and trauma-related disorders, and substance use disorders is extremely common. Moreover, therapies that reduce pathological fear and anxiety on the one hand, and drug-seeking on the other, often prove short-lived and are susceptible to relapse. Considerable advances have been made in the study of the neurobiology of both aversive and appetitive extinction, and this work reveals shared neural circuits that contribute to both the suppression and relapse of conditioned responses associated with trauma or drug use. OBJECTIVES The goal of this review is to identify common neural circuits and mechanisms underlying relapse across domains of addiction biology and aversive learning in preclinical animal models. We focus primarily on neural circuits engaged during the expression of relapse. KEY FINDINGS After extinction, brain circuits involving the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus come to regulate the expression of conditioned responses by the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and nucleus accumbens. During relapse, hippocampal projections to the prefrontal cortex inhibit the retrieval of extinction memories resulting in a loss of inhibitory control over fear- and drug-associated conditional responding. CONCLUSIONS The overlapping brain systems for both fear and drug memories may explain the co-occurrence of fear and drug-seeking behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis D Goode
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, 301 Old Main Dr., College Station, TX, 77843-3474, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, 301 Old Main Dr., College Station, TX, 77843-3474, USA.
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84
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Meloni EG, Kaye KT, Venkataraman A, Carlezon WA. PACAP increases Arc/Arg 3.1 expression within the extended amygdala after fear conditioning in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 157:24-34. [PMID: 30458282 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The stress-related neuropeptide pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is implicated in neuromodulation of learning and memory. PACAP can alter synaptic plasticity and has direct actions on neurons in the amygdala and hippocampus that could contribute to its acute and persistent effects on the consolidation and expression of conditioned fear. We recently demonstrated that intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of PACAP prior to fear conditioning (FC) results in initial amnestic-like effects followed by hyper-expression of conditioned freezing with repeated testing, and analyses of immediate-early gene c-Fos expression suggested that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), but not the lateral/basolateral amygdala (LA/BLA) or hippocampus, are involved in these PACAP effects. Here, we extend that work by examining the expression of the synaptic plasticity marker activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc/Arg 3.1) after PACAP administration and FC. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with cannula for ICV infusion of PACAP-38 (1.5 µg) or vehicle followed by FC and tests for conditioned freezing. One hour after FC, Arc protein expression was significantly elevated in the CeA and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), interconnected structures that are key elements of the extended amygdala, in rats that received the combination of PACAP + FC. In contrast, Arc expression within the subdivisions of the hippocampus, or the LA/BLA, were unchanged. A subpopulation of Arc-positive cells in both the CeA and BNST also express PKCdelta, an intracellular marker that has been used to identify microcircuits that gate conditioned fear in the CeA. Consistent with our previous findings, on the following day conditioned freezing behavior was reduced in rats that had been given the combination of PACAP + FC-an amnestic-like effect-and Arc expression levels had returned to baseline. Given the established role of Arc in modifying synaptic plasticity and memory formation, our findings suggest that PACAP-induced overexpression of Arc following fear conditioning may disrupt neuroplastic changes within populations of CeA and BNST neurons normally responsible for encoding fear-related cues that, in this case, results in altered fear memory consolidation. Hence, PACAP systems may represent an axis on which stress and experience-driven neurotransmission converge to alter emotional memory, and mediate pathologies that are characteristic of psychiatric illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward G Meloni
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, United States.
| | - Karen T Kaye
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, United States
| | - Archana Venkataraman
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, United States
| | - William A Carlezon
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, United States
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85
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Walter AL, Bartsch JC, Datunashvili M, Blaesse P, Lange MD, Pape HC. Physiological Profile of Neuropeptide Y-Expressing Neurons in Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis in Mice: State of High Excitability. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:393. [PMID: 30455634 PMCID: PMC6231247 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Both, the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the neuropeptide Y (NPY) system are involved in shaping fear and defensive responses that adapt the organism to potentially life-threatening conditions. NPY is expressed in the BNST but NPY-expressing neurons in this critical hub in the stress response network have not been addressed before. Therefore, we performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in acute slices of anterior BNST from Npy-hrGFP transgenic mice to identify and characterize NPY-expressing neurons. We show that NPY-positive and NPY-negative neurons in anterior BNST match the previous classification scheme of type I (Regular Spiking), type II (Low-Threshold Bursting), and type III (fast Inward Rectifying) cells, although the proportion of these physiological phenotypes was similar within both neuronal subpopulations. However, NPY-positive and NPY-negative neurons possessed distinct intrinsic electrophysiological properties. NPY-positive neurons displayed higher input resistance and lower membrane capacitance, corresponding to small cell bodies and shorter less ramified dendrites, as compared to their NPY-negative counterparts. Furthermore, NPY-positive neurons generated higher frequent series of action potentials upon membrane depolarization and displayed significantly lower GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic responsiveness during evoked, spontaneous, and elementary synaptic activity. Taken together, these properties indicate an overall state of high excitability in NPY-positive neurons in anterior BNST. In view of the role of the anterior BNST in anxiety- and stress-related behaviors, these findings suggest a scenario where NPY-positive neurons are preferentially active and responsive to afferent inputs, thereby contributing to adaptation of the organism to stressful environmental encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achim Leonhard Walter
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Maia Datunashvili
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Peter Blaesse
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Maren Denise Lange
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hans-Christian Pape
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
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86
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Luyck K, Goode TD, Lee Masson H, Luyten L. Distinct Activity Patterns of the Human Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis and Amygdala during Fear Learning. Neuropsychol Rev 2018; 29:181-185. [PMID: 30229440 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-018-9383-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The amygdala and, more recently, also the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, have been widely implicated in fear and anxiety. Much of our current knowledge is derived from animal studies and suggests an intricate convergence and divergence in functions related to defensive responding. In a recent paper, Klumpers and colleagues set out to examine these functions in a human fear learning procedure using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Their main findings were a role for the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in threat anticipation, and for the amygdala in threat confrontation. Here, we provide a critical summary of this interesting study and point out some important issues that were not addressed by its authors. In particular, we first take a closer look at the striking differences between both samples that were combined for the study, and, secondly, we provide an in-depth discussion of their findings in relation to existing neurobehavioral models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Luyck
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurosurgery and Neuroanatomy, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Travis D Goode
- Institute for Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3474, USA
| | - Haemy Lee Masson
- Laboratory for Biological Psychology, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Laura Luyten
- Centre for Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 PB 3712, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
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87
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Janeček M, Dabrowska J. Oxytocin facilitates adaptive fear and attenuates anxiety responses in animal models and human studies-potential interaction with the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Cell Tissue Res 2018; 375:143-172. [PMID: 30054732 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2889-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Despite its relatively well-understood role as a reproductive and pro-social peptide, oxytocin (OT) tells a more convoluted story in terms of its modulation of fear and anxiety. This nuanced story has been obscured by a great deal of research into the therapeutic applications of exogenous OT, driving more than 400 ongoing clinical trials. Drawing from animal models and human studies, we review the complex evidence concerning OT's role in fear learning and anxiety, clarifying the existing confusion about modulation of fear versus anxiety. We discuss animal models and human studies demonstrating the prevailing role of OT in strengthening fear memory to a discrete signal or cue, which allows accurate and rapid threat detection that facilitates survival. We also review ostensibly contrasting behavioral studies that nonetheless provide compelling evidence of OT attenuating sustained contextual fear and anxiety-like behavior, arguing that these OT effects on the modulation of fear vs. anxiety are not mutually exclusive. To disambiguate how endogenous OT modulates fear and anxiety, an understudied area compared to exogenous OT, we survey behavioral studies utilizing OT receptor (OTR) antagonists. Based on emerging evidence about the role of OTR in rat dorsolateral bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) and elsewhere, we postulate that OT plays a critical role in facilitating accurate discrimination between stimuli representing threat and safety. Supported by human studies, we demonstrate that OT uniquely facilitates adaptive fear but reduces maladaptive anxiety. Last, we explore the limited literature on endogenous OT and its interaction with corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) with a special emphasis on the dorsolateral BNST, which may hold the key to the neurobiology of phasic fear and sustained anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Janeček
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA.
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88
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Grunfeld IS, Likhtik E. Mixed selectivity encoding and action selection in the prefrontal cortex during threat assessment. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 49:108-115. [PMID: 29454957 PMCID: PMC5889962 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Revised: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regulates expression of emotional behavior. The mPFC combines multivariate information from its inputs, and depending on the imminence of threat, activates downstream networks that either increase or decrease the expression of anxiety-related motor behavior and autonomic activation. Here, we selectively highlight how subcortical input to the mPFC from two example structures, the amygdala and ventral hippocampus, help shape mixed selectivity encoding and action selection during emotional processing. We outline a model where prefrontal subregions modulate behavior along orthogonal motor dimensions, and exhibit connectivity that selects for expression of one behavioral strategy while inhibiting the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itamar S Grunfeld
- Biology Department, Hunter College, CUNY, United States; Neuroscience Collaborative, The Graduate Center, CUNY, United States
| | - Ekaterina Likhtik
- Biology Department, Hunter College, CUNY, United States; Neuroscience Collaborative, The Graduate Center, CUNY, United States.
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89
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Kiyokawa Y, Hennessy MB. Comparative studies of social buffering: A consideration of approaches, terminology, and pitfalls. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 86:131-141. [PMID: 29223771 PMCID: PMC5801062 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
KIYOKAWA, Y. and HENNESSY, M.B. Comparative studies of social buffering: A consideration of approaches, terminology, and pitfalls…NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV XXX-XXX, .- Over the past decades, there has been an increasing number of investigations of the impact of social variables on neural, endocrine, and immune outcomes. Among these are studies of "social buffering"-or the phenomenon by which affiliative social partners mitigate the response to stressors. Yet, as social buffering studies have become more commonplace, the variety of approaches taken, definitions employed, and divergent results obtained in different species can lead to confusion and miscommunication. The aim of the present paper, therefore, is to address terminology and approaches and to highlight potential pitfalls to the study of social buffering across nonhuman species. We review and categorize variables currently being employed in social buffering studies and provide an overview of responses measured, mediating sensory modalities and underlying mechanisms. It is our hope that the paper will be useful to those contemplating examination of social buffering in the context of their own research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasushi Kiyokawa
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
| | - Michael B Hennessy
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, 335 Fawcett Hall, Dayton, OH, 45435, United States.
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90
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Tillman RM, Stockbridge MD, Nacewicz BM, Torrisi S, Fox AS, Smith JF, Shackman AJ. Intrinsic functional connectivity of the central extended amygdala. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:1291-1312. [PMID: 29235190 PMCID: PMC5807241 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Revised: 12/03/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The central extended amygdala (EAc)-including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce)-plays a critical role in triggering fear and anxiety and is implicated in the development of a range of debilitating neuropsychiatric disorders. Although it is widely believed that these disorders reflect the coordinated activity of distributed neural circuits, the functional architecture of the EAc network and the degree to which the BST and the Ce show distinct patterns of functional connectivity is unclear. Here, we used a novel combination of imaging approaches to trace the connectivity of the BST and the Ce in 130 healthy, racially diverse, community-dwelling adults. Multiband imaging, high-precision registration techniques, and spatially unsmoothed data maximized anatomical specificity. Using newly developed seed regions, whole-brain regression analyses revealed robust functional connectivity between the BST and Ce via the sublenticular extended amygdala, the ribbon of subcortical gray matter encompassing the ventral amygdalofugal pathway. Both regions displayed coupling with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), midcingulate cortex (MCC), insula, and anterior hippocampus. The BST showed stronger connectivity with the thalamus, striatum, periaqueductal gray, and several prefrontal territories. The only regions showing stronger functional connectivity with the Ce were neighboring regions of the dorsal amygdala, amygdalohippocampal area, and anterior hippocampus. These observations provide a baseline against which to compare a range of special populations, inform our understanding of the role of the EAc in normal and pathological fear and anxiety, and showcase image registration techniques that are likely to be useful for researchers working with "deidentified" neuroimaging data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Melissa D. Stockbridge
- Department of Hearing and Speech SciencesUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkMaryland20742
| | - Brendon M. Nacewicz
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of Wisconsin—Madison, 6001 Research Park BoulevardMadisonWisconsin53719
| | - Salvatore Torrisi
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and AnxietyNational Institute of Mental HealthBethesdaMaryland20892
| | - Andrew S. Fox
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCalifornia95616
- California National Primate Research CenterUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCalifornia95616
| | - Jason F. Smith
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkMaryland20742
| | - Alexander J. Shackman
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkMaryland20742
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkMaryland20742
- Maryland Neuroimaging CenterUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkMaryland20742
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Electrolytic post-training lesions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis block startle potentiation in a cued fear conditioning procedure. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 223:1839-1848. [PMID: 29249047 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1591-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Existing neuroanatomical models argue that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) principally mediates sustained, long-lasting fear or anxiety responses, but not shorter, phasic fear responses, although recent studies paint a more complex picture. In the current study, we evaluated the effect of post-training electrolytic BST lesions in a cued fear conditioning protocol with relatively short (10 s) tones. We hypothesized that the BST would not play a crucial role in the expression of fear upon re-exposure to the conditioned tones. Tone fear memory was primarily assessed through fear-potentiated startle. In addition, freezing measurements were obtained throughout the test sessions. In a series of three experiments, we explored the effects of BST lesions, taking into consideration contextual influences on cued fear expression (using (dis)similar training and test contexts) and temporal involvement of the BST in the consolidation of fear learning (lesion induction 3 or 27 h after fear conditioning). In all three experiments, we found that post-training electrolytic lesions of the BST significantly reduced fear-potentiated startle, implying a deficit in differentiation between tone and context. These results are surprising and challenge the general consensus on the lack of BST involvement in cued fear. We discuss several alternative explanations that may account for these unexpected findings.
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