151
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Abstract
Physiological monitoring provides a useful access into the patient's affective state during hypnotically assisted therapeutic sessions. Physiological monitoring identifies autonomic dysregulation and can also display the process of restoring autonomic regulation via hypnosis and other quieting strategies. Commonly used modalities for physiological monitoring are identified, and clinical illustrations of how psychophysiological monitoring can be used in hypnosis and hypnotically assisted psychotherapy are provided. Clinicians may benefit from including psychophysiological knowledge in hypnosis education. Physiological monitoring may enhance hypnosis interventions for some disorders; however, more research is needed for evaluation of efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald Moss
- College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences, Saybrook University , Pasadena, California, USA
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152
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Zsido AN, Csokasi K, Vincze O, Coelho CM. The emergency reaction questionnaire - First steps towards a new method. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION : IJDRR 2020; 49:101684. [PMID: 32501418 PMCID: PMC7243776 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
During emergencies, people are more or less capable of performing adequately. Knowledge about human behavior while facing emergencies has become more significant nowadays. This knowledge can help improving our already present defensive responses and natural coping mechanisms when facing imminent dangers, natural disasters, and catastrophes. A new method is here offered to explore the core points of this topic. The Emergency Reaction Questionnaire (ERQ), is proposed for predicting one's reaction and behaviour in an emergency. First, a large item pool was created based on interviews with people facing emergencies on a weekly basis and related literature. The factor structure, reliability and validity were assessed on a large sample of lay people (N = 1115, 440 males) and specific groups of firefighters and people doing extreme sports (N = 85, all males). Participants were Caucasian with an age range of 18-70. We also used measures of anxiety, depression, and sensation seeking, behavioral inhibition and activation and coping in stressful situations. The ERQ was proved to be reliable and consistent in time and having sound psychometric properties both on the community and special samples. Results show that psychometric properties are satisfying; the test has excellent validity ratings. Consequently, the ERQ can be used in future research effectively and facilitate a better understanding of how people react in a highly dangerous situation. Future directions in the utilization of the new method are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andras N Zsido
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
| | | | - Orsolya Vincze
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
| | - Carlos M Coelho
- School pf Psychology, ISMAI University Institute of Maia, Portugal
- School of Health of Porto Polytechnic, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Lab, Center for Rehabilitation Research, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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153
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de Lima MAX, Baldo MVC, Canteras NS. Revealing a Cortical Circuit Responsive to Predatory Threats and Mediating Contextual Fear Memory. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:3074-3090. [PMID: 30085040 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The ventral part of the anteromedial thalamic nucleus (AMv) receives substantial inputs from hypothalamic sites that are highly responsive to a live predator or its odor trace and represents an important thalamic hub for conveying predatory threat information to the cerebral cortex. In the present study, we begin by examining the cortico-amygdalar-hippocampal projections of the main AMv cortical targets, namely, the caudal prelimbic, rostral anterior cingulate, and medial visual areas, as well as the rostral part of the ventral retrosplenial area, one of the main targets of the anterior cingulate area. We observed that these areas form a clear cortical network. Next, we revealed that in animals exposed to a live cat, all of the elements of this circuit presented a differential increase in Fos, supporting the idea of a predator threat-responsive cortical network. Finally, we showed that bilateral cytotoxic lesions in each element of this cortical network did not change innate fear responses but drastically reduced contextual conditioning to the predator-associated environment. Overall, the present findings suggest that predator threat has an extensive representation in the cerebral cortex and revealed a cortical network that is responsive to predatory threats and exerts a critical role in processing fear memory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcus Vinicius C Baldo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo; São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Newton Sabino Canteras
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo; São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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154
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The Grueneberg ganglion controls odor-driven food choices in mice under threat. Commun Biol 2020; 3:533. [PMID: 32973323 PMCID: PMC7518244 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01257-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to efficiently search for food is fundamental for animal survival. Olfactory messages are used to find food while being aware of the impending risk of predation. How these different olfactory clues are combined to optimize decision-making concerning food selection remains elusive. Here, we find that chemical danger cues drive the food selection in mice via the activation of a specific olfactory subsystem, the Grueneberg ganglion (GG). We show that a functional GG is required to decipher the threatening quality of an unfamiliar food. We also find that the increase in corticosterone, which is GG-dependent, enhances safe food preference acquired during social transmission. Moreover, we demonstrate that memory retrieval for food preference can be extinguished by activation of the GG circuitry. Our findings reveal a key function played by the GG in controlling contextual food responses and illustrate how mammalian organisms integrate environmental chemical stress to optimize decision-making. Julien Brechbühl et al. show that the Grueneberg ganglion olfactory subsystem is necessary for deciphering the threatening or safe qualities of unfamiliar food based on olfactory or social signals, respectively, in mice. These results highlight the role of this subsystem in optimizing decision-making strategies related to food preference by integrating environmental cues.
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155
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Experience-dependent plasticity in an innate social behavior is mediated by hypothalamic LTP. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:25789-25799. [PMID: 32973099 PMCID: PMC7568289 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011782117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Modification of instinctive behaviors occurs through experience, yet the mechanisms through which this happens have remained largely unknown. Recent studies have shown that potentiation of aggression, an innate behavior, can occur through repeated winning of aggressive encounters. Here, we show that synaptic plasticity at a specific excitatory input to a hypothalamic cell population is correlated with, and required for, the expression of increasingly higher levels of aggressive behavior following aggressive experience. We additionally show that the amplitude and persistence of long-term potentiation at this synapse are influenced by serum testosterone, administration of which can normalize individual differences in the expression of intermale aggression among genetically identical mice. All animals can perform certain survival behaviors without prior experience, suggesting a “hard wiring” of underlying neural circuits. Experience, however, can alter the expression of innate behaviors. Where in the brain and how such plasticity occurs remains largely unknown. Previous studies have established the phenomenon of “aggression training,” in which the repeated experience of winning successive aggressive encounters across multiple days leads to increased aggressiveness. Here, we show that this procedure also leads to long-term potentiation (LTP) at an excitatory synapse, derived from the posteromedial part of the amygdalohippocampal area (AHiPM), onto estrogen receptor 1-expressing (Esr1+) neurons in the ventrolateral subdivision of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl). We demonstrate further that the optogenetic induction of such LTP in vivo facilitates, while optogenetic long-term depression (LTD) diminishes, the behavioral effect of aggression training, implying a causal role for potentiation at AHiPM→VMHvlEsr1 synapses in mediating the effect of this training. Interestingly, ∼25% of inbred C57BL/6 mice fail to respond to aggression training. We show that these individual differences are correlated both with lower levels of testosterone, relative to mice that respond to such training, and with a failure to exhibit LTP after aggression training. Administration of exogenous testosterone to such nonaggressive mice restores both behavioral and physiological plasticity. Together, these findings reveal that LTP at a hypothalamic circuit node mediates a form of experience-dependent plasticity in an innate social behavior, and a potential hormone-dependent basis for individual differences in such plasticity among genetically identical mice.
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156
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Olivera-Pasilio V, Dabrowska J. Oxytocin Promotes Accurate Fear Discrimination and Adaptive Defensive Behaviors. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:583878. [PMID: 33071751 PMCID: PMC7538630 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.583878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The nonapeptide, oxytocin (OT), known for its role in social bonding and attachment formation, has demonstrated anxiolytic properties in animal models and human studies. However, its role in the regulation of fear responses appears more complex, brain site-specific, sex-specific, and dependent on a prior stress history. Studies have shown that OT neurons in the hypothalamus are activated during cued and contextual fear conditioning and during fear recall, highlighting the recruitment of endogenous oxytocin system in fear learning. OT is released into the extended amygdala, which contains the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), both critical for the regulation of fear and anxiety-like behaviors. Behavioral studies report that OT in the CeA reduces contextual fear responses; whereas in the BNST, OT receptor (OTR) neurotransmission facilitates cued fear and reduces fear responses to un-signaled, diffuse threats. These ostensibly contrasting behavioral effects support growing evidence that OT works to promote fear discrimination by reducing contextual fear or fear of diffuse threats, yet strengthening fear responses to imminent and predictable threats. Recent studies from the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) support this notion and show that activation of OTR in the BLA facilitates fear discrimination by increasing fear responses to discrete cues. Also, OTR transmission in the CeA has been shown to mediate a switch from passive freezing to active escape behaviors in confrontation with an imminent, yet escapable threat but reduce reactivity to distant threats. Therefore, OT appears to increase the salience of relevant threat-signaling cues yet reduce fear responses to un-signaled, distant, or diffuse threats. Lastly, OTR signaling has been shown to underlie emotional discrimination between conspecifics during time of distress, social transmission of fear, and social buffering of fear. As OT has been shown to enhance salience of both positive and negative social experiences, it can also serve as a warning system against potential threats in social networks. Here, we extend the social salience hypothesis by proposing that OT enhances the salience of relevant environmental cues also in non-social contexts, and as such promotes active defensive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Olivera-Pasilio
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States.,Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States.,School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States.,Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States.,School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
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157
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Kennedy A, Kunwar PS, Li LY, Stagkourakis S, Wagenaar DA, Anderson DJ. Stimulus-specific hypothalamic encoding of a persistent defensive state. Nature 2020; 586:730-734. [PMID: 32939094 PMCID: PMC7606611 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2728-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Persistent neural activity has been described in cortical, hippocampal,
and motor networks as mediating working memory of transiently encountered
stimuli1,2. Internal emotion states such as fear
also exhibit persistence following exposure to an inciting stimulus3, but whether slow neural
dynamics are involved is not well-studied. SF1+/Nr5a1+
neurons in the dorsomedial and central subdivisions of the ventromedial
hypothalamus (VMHdm/c) are necessary for defensive responses to
predators4–7. Optogenetic activation of
VMHdmSF1 neurons elicits defensive behaviours that outlast
stimulation5,8, suggesting the induction of a persistent
internal state of fear or anxiety. Here we show that in response to naturalistic
threatening stimuli, VMHdmSF1 neurons exhibit persistent activity
lasting many tens of seconds. This persistent activity was correlated with, and
required for, persistent defensive behavior in an open-field assay, and was
dependent on neurotransmitter release from VMHdmSF1 neurons.
Stimulation and calcium imaging experiments in acute slices revealed local
excitatory connectivity between VMHdmSF1 neurons. Microendoscopic
calcium imaging of VMHdmSF1 neurons revealed that persistent activity
at the population level reflects heterogeneous dynamics among individual cells.
Unexpectedly, distinct but overlapping VMHdmSF1 subpopulations were
persistently activated by different modalities of threatening stimuli.
Computational modeling suggests that neither recurrent excitation nor
slow-acting neuromodulators alone can account for persistent activity that
maintains stimulus identity. Our results identify stimulus-specific slow neural
dynamics in the hypothalamus, on a time scale orders of magnitude longer than
that supporting working memory in the cortex9,10, as a
contributing mechanism underlying a persistent emotion state. (238 words)
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Kennedy
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Prabhat S Kunwar
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.,Kallyope, Inc., New York, NY, USA
| | - Ling-Yun Li
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Stefanos Stagkourakis
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Daniel A Wagenaar
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - David J Anderson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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158
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Ozawa M, Davis P, Ni J, Maguire J, Papouin T, Reijmers L. Experience-dependent resonance in amygdalo-cortical circuits supports fear memory retrieval following extinction. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4358. [PMID: 32868768 PMCID: PMC7459312 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18199-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Learned fear and safety are associated with distinct oscillatory states in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). To determine if and how these network states support the retrieval of competing memories, we mimicked endogenous oscillatory activity through optogenetic stimulation of parvalbumin-expressing interneurons in mice during retrieval of contextual fear and extinction memories. We found that exogenously induced 4 Hz and 8 Hz oscillatory activity in the BLA exerts bi-directional control over conditioned freezing behavior in an experience- and context-specific manner, and that these oscillations have an experience-dependent ability to recruit distinct functional neuronal ensembles. At the network level we demonstrate, via simultaneous manipulation of BLA and mPFC, that experience-dependent 4 Hz resonance across BLA-mPFC circuitry supports post-extinction fear memory retrieval. Our findings reveal that post-extinction fear memory retrieval is supported by local and interregional experience-dependent resonance, and suggest novel approaches for interrogation and therapeutic manipulation of acquired fear circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minagi Ozawa
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Patrick Davis
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
- Boston Combined Residency Program (Child Neurology), Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jianguang Ni
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jamie Maguire
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Thomas Papouin
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Leon Reijmers
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.
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159
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Allene C, Kalalou K, Durand F, Thomas F, Januel D. Acute and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders: A biased nervous system. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2020; 177:23-38. [PMID: 32800536 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2020.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder are generally triggered by an exceptionally intense threat. The consequences of this traumatogenic situation are explored here in chronological order, from exposure to the threat to development of symptoms. Such a situation may disrupt the equilibrium between two fundamental brain circuits, referred to as the "defensive" and "cognitive". The defensive circuit triggers the stress response as well as the formation of implicit memory. The cognitive circuit triggers the voluntary response and the formation of explicit autobiographical memory. During a traumatogenic situation, the defensive circuit could be over-activated while cognitive circuit is under-activated. In the most severe cases, overactivation of the defensive circuit may cause its brutal deactivation, resulting in dissociation. Here, we address the underlying neurobiological mechanisms at every scale: from neurons to behaviors, providing a detailed explanatory model of trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Allene
- Unité de recherche clinique, établissement public de santé Ville-Evrard, 202, avenue Jean-Jaurès, 93332 Neuilly-sur-Marne, France; Centre de psychothérapie, établissement public de santé Ville-Evrard, 5, rue du Docteur-Delafontaine, 93200 Saint-Denis, France.
| | - K Kalalou
- Unité de recherche clinique, établissement public de santé Ville-Evrard, 202, avenue Jean-Jaurès, 93332 Neuilly-sur-Marne, France; Centre de psychothérapie, établissement public de santé Ville-Evrard, 5, rue du Docteur-Delafontaine, 93200 Saint-Denis, France.
| | - F Durand
- Unité de recherche clinique, établissement public de santé Ville-Evrard, 202, avenue Jean-Jaurès, 93332 Neuilly-sur-Marne, France; Centre de psychothérapie, établissement public de santé Ville-Evrard, 5, rue du Docteur-Delafontaine, 93200 Saint-Denis, France.
| | - F Thomas
- Unité de recherche clinique, établissement public de santé Ville-Evrard, 202, avenue Jean-Jaurès, 93332 Neuilly-sur-Marne, France.
| | - D Januel
- Unité de recherche clinique, établissement public de santé Ville-Evrard, 202, avenue Jean-Jaurès, 93332 Neuilly-sur-Marne, France.
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160
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Conceptualizing COVID-19 and Public Panic with the Moderating Role of Media Use and Uncertainty in China: An Empirical Framework. Healthcare (Basel) 2020; 8:healthcare8030249. [PMID: 32748886 PMCID: PMC7551926 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare8030249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Uncertainty puts people in a binary state of mind, where every piece of external information can positively or negatively affect their state of health. Given the uncertain situation created by the new coronavirus pandemic, this study claims to be the first empirical analysis of the real-time status of public panic in China. It frames peoples’ intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli, creating a psychosocial analysis of public panic. We conducted an online survey of WeChat and QQ users in February 2020 and collected 1613 samples through a QR code questionnaire. We used the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression equation model to conceptualize public panic pathways in different gender and age groups. This underlines the psychological origins of fear and anxiety and points out how the media uses socially constructed public panic. The results show that the outbreak of COVID-19 created uncertainty among the public, and the official media intensified it because of the late dissemination of news about the outbreak’s real-time status. Hence, unofficial media remained faster in news reporting, but the news reporting remained contradictory with official reports. This created doubts about the authenticity of the given information and caused public mental health abnormalities. The study provides a conceptual framework based on lessons learned from physiology, psychology, and social psychology and real-time public analysis to inform policymakers and public administrators about the contextual dynamics of public panic in China. It provides useful insights into the wise handling of this uncertain time and controlling the fatal conditions of public panic created by COVID-19. It has implications for other countries as well.
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161
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Montardy Q, Zhou Z, Liu X, Lei Z, Zeng P, Chen C, Liu Y, Huang K, Wei M, Wang L. Glutamatergic and gabaergic neuronal populations in the dorsal Periacqueductual Gray have different functional roles in aversive conditioning. Neurosci Lett 2020; 732:135059. [PMID: 32454151 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The dorsal periacqueductal gray (dPAG) is a midbrain structure having an essential role in coordinating defensive behaviors in response to aversive stimulation. However, the question of whether dPAG neurons can respond to aversive conditioning and retrieval, properties involved in emergence of negative emotional state, is still under debate. Here we used calcium imaging by fiber photometry to record the activity of dPAGVGluT2+ and dPAGGAD2+ neuronal populations during unconditioned and conditioned aversive stimulation. Then, following an unconditioned stimulation we performed a retrieval experiment to quantify memory-like responses of dPAG neurons. This shown that whilst both dPAGVGluT2+ and dPAGGAD2+ neuronal populations respond to direct US stimulation, and to CS stimulation during conditioning, only the dPAGVGluT2+ population persisted in responding to the CS stimulation during retrieval. Finally to better understand these divergences in dPAGVGluT2+ and dPAGGAD2+ responses, we investigated their respective connectivity patterns by performing a cell specific monosynaptic retrograde rabies virus tracing experiment. This revealed that different patterns of fibers projects to dPAGVGluT2+ and dPAGGAD2+, which could explain part of their response specificities. This may indicate that glutamatergic subpopulation is a main contributor of aversive memories in dPAG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Montardy
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zheng Zhou
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Xuemei Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhuogui Lei
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Pengyu Zeng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuanming Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Mengxia Wei
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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162
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Abstract
Escape is one of the most studied animal behaviors, and there is a rich normative theory that links threat properties to evasive actions and their timing. The behavioral principles of escape are evolutionarily conserved and rely on elementary computational steps such as classifying sensory stimuli and executing appropriate movements. These are common building blocks of general adaptive behaviors. Here we consider the computational challenges required for escape behaviors to be implemented, discuss possible algorithmic solutions, and review some of the underlying neural circuits and mechanisms. We outline shared neural principles that can be implemented by evolutionarily ancient neural systems to generate escape behavior, to which cortical encephalization has been added to allow for increased sophistication and flexibility in responding to threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Branco
- UCL Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London W1T 4JG, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Redgrave
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 2LT, United Kingdom
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163
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Bleicher SS, Kotler BP, Embar K. Ninja owl; Gerbils over-anticipate an unexpected flying predator. Behav Processes 2020; 178:104161. [PMID: 32505484 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Foragers make decisions based on cues, information collected from their environment, processed into strategic behaviours. This information, processed in multiple regions of the brain, ultimately result in the production of stress hormones and visible changes in behaviour of animals - both reflexively to avoid depredation and strategically to avoid an encounter with the predator. In a common-garden experiment we tested how imperfect information from visual cues of a predator impacts foraging and apprehension of a desert rodent, the Egyptian gerbil (Gerbillus pyramidum). The gerbils were exposed to predation by barn owls (Tyto alba), one camouflaged on dark nights using black dye. Gerbils' response to the owls was measured using patch-use measured in giving-up densities (GUDs) and time spent in vigilance activity. Owl lethality was extrapolated from mean times spent in attacks and number of attempted strikes. Dyed owls attack-rate was lower and attack duration greater than those of the white owls. During the full moon, when dyed owls were visible, gerbils responded with extreme vigilance and minimal foraging (high GUDs). During the new moon when the owls were most stealthy, the gerbils showed low vigilance coupled with a similar high GUD. The inconsistency between gerbils' foraging and vigilance behaviours, suggest a likely mismatch between perceived risk and actual measurement of predator lethality gathered by the gerbils' observations in real time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonny Shlomo Bleicher
- Department of Biological Sciences, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, USA; Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA; Mitrani Department for Dryland Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boker, Israel.
| | - Burt Philip Kotler
- Mitrani Department for Dryland Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boker, Israel
| | - Keren Embar
- Mitrani Department for Dryland Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boker, Israel
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164
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Barbano MF, Wang HL, Zhang S, Miranda-Barrientos J, Estrin DJ, Figueroa-González A, Liu B, Barker DJ, Morales M. VTA Glutamatergic Neurons Mediate Innate Defensive Behaviors. Neuron 2020; 107:368-382.e8. [PMID: 32442399 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) has dopamine, GABA, and glutamate neurons, which have been implicated in reward and aversion. Here, we determined whether VTA-glutamate or -GABA neurons play a role in innate defensive behavior. By VTA cell-type-specific genetic ablation, we found that ablation of glutamate, but not GABA, neurons abolishes escape behavior in response to threatening stimuli. We found that escape behavior is also decreased by chemogenetic inhibition of VTA-glutamate neurons and detected increases in activity in VTA-glutamate neurons in response to the threatening stimuli. By ultrastructural and electrophysiological analysis, we established that VTA-glutamate neurons receive a major monosynaptic glutamatergic input from the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) and found that photoinhibition of this input decreases escape responses to threatening stimuli. These findings indicate that VTA-glutamate neurons are activated by and required for innate defensive responses and that information on threatening stimuli to VTA-glutamate neurons is relayed by LHA-glutamate neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Flavia Barbano
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Hui-Ling Wang
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Shiliang Zhang
- Confocal and Electron Microscopy Core, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Jorge Miranda-Barrientos
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - David J Estrin
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Almaris Figueroa-González
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Bing Liu
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - David J Barker
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Marisela Morales
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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165
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Zhang Y, Zhu Y, Cao SX, Sun P, Yang JM, Xia YF, Xie SZ, Yu XD, Fu JY, Shen CJ, He HY, Pan HQ, Chen XJ, Wang H, Li XM. MeCP2 in cholinergic interneurons of nucleus accumbens regulates fear learning. eLife 2020; 9:55342. [PMID: 32420873 PMCID: PMC7259956 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) encoded by the MECP2 gene is a transcriptional regulator whose mutations cause Rett syndrome (RTT). Mecp2-deficient mice show fear regulation impairment; however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this abnormal behavior are largely uncharacterized. Here, we showed that Mecp2 gene deficiency in cholinergic interneurons of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) dramatically impaired fear learning. We further found that spontaneous activity of cholinergic interneurons in Mecp2-deficient mice decreased, mediated by enhanced inhibitory transmission via α2-containing GABAA receptors. With MeCP2 restoration, opto- and chemo-genetic activation, and RNA interference in ChAT-expressing interneurons of the NAc, impaired fear retrieval was rescued. Taken together, these results reveal a previously unknown role of MeCP2 in NAc cholinergic interneurons in fear regulation, suggesting that modulation of neurons in the NAc may ameliorate fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhang
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yi Zhu
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shu-Xia Cao
- Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Peng Sun
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Ming Yang
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yan-Fang Xia
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shi-Ze Xie
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Dan Yu
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jia-Yu Fu
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chen-Jie Shen
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hai-Yang He
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao-Qi Pan
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Juan Chen
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao Wang
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Ming Li
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Joint Institute for Genetics and Genome Medicine between Zhejiang University and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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166
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Li L. A Lower-Brainstem Structure Coordinates Acquisition of Negative Experience. Neurosci Bull 2020; 36:955-957. [PMID: 32335840 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-020-00504-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518000, China.
- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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167
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Delfino-Pereira P, Berti Dutra P, Cortes de Oliveira JA, Casanova Turatti IC, Fernandes A, Peporine Lopes N, Garcia-Cairasco N. Are Predator Smell (TMT)-Induced Behavioral Alterations in Rats Able to Inhibit Seizures? Chem Senses 2020; 45:347-357. [DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjaa023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
We aimed to evaluate the chemical and behavioral effects of 2,5-dihydro-2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT) after olfactory exposure and to verify their influence in the expression of acute audiogenic seizures in the Wistar Audiogenic Rat (WAR) strain. PROTOCOL 1: TMT gas chromatography was applied to define odor saturation in a chamber to different concentrations, time required for saturation and desaturation, and if saturation was homogeneous. Also, male Adult Wistar rats were exposed to saline (SAL) or to different TMT concentrations and their behaviors were evaluated (neuroethology). PROTOCOL 2: Male adult WARs were exposed for 15 s to SAL or TMT, followed by sound stimulation for 1 min or until tonic–clonic convulsion. Behavioral analysis included latencies (wild running and tonic–clonic convulsion), seizure severity indexes, and neuroethology. Gas chromatography established a saturation homogeneous to different concentrations of TMT, indicating that saturation and desaturation occurred in 30 min. TMT triggered fear-like or aversion-like reactions associated with reduction in motor activity and in grooming behavior, in the 2 highest concentrations. Pure TMT presented anticonvulsant properties, such as less-severe seizure phenotype, as well as a decrease in tonic–clonic convulsion expression. TMT elicited fear-like or aversion-like behaviors in Wistar and WAR and can be utilized in a quantifiable and controllable way. Our results suggested possible antagonism between “fear-related” or “aversion-related” and “seizure-related” networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polianna Delfino-Pereira
- Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences Departament, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Poliana Berti Dutra
- Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences Departament, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
- Physiology Departament, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Izabel Cristina Casanova Turatti
- Physics and Chemistry Departament, Ribeirão Preto School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Artur Fernandes
- Physiology Departament, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Norberto Peporine Lopes
- Physics and Chemistry Departament, Ribeirão Preto School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Norberto Garcia-Cairasco
- Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences Departament, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
- Physiology Departament, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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168
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Daviu N, Füzesi T, Rosenegger DG, Rasiah NP, Sterley TL, Peringod G, Bains JS. Paraventricular nucleus CRH neurons encode stress controllability and regulate defensive behavior selection. Nat Neurosci 2020; 23:398-410. [PMID: 32066984 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-0591-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In humans and rodents, the perception of control during stressful events has lasting behavioral consequences. These consequences are apparent even in situations that are distinct from the stress context, but how the brain links prior stressful experience to subsequent behaviors remains poorly understood. By assessing innate defensive behavior in a looming-shadow task, we show that the initiation of an escape response is preceded by an increase in the activity of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus (CRHPVN neurons). This anticipatory increase is sensitive to stressful stimuli that have high or low levels of outcome control. Specifically, experimental stress with high outcome control increases CRHPVN neuron anticipatory activity, which increases escape behavior in an unrelated context. By contrast, stress with no outcome control prevents the emergence of this anticipatory activity and decreases subsequent escape behavior. These observations indicate that CRHPVN neurons encode stress controllability and contribute to shifts between active and passive innate defensive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Daviu
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Tamás Füzesi
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,CSM Optogenetics Core Facility, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - David G Rosenegger
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Neilen P Rasiah
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Toni-Lee Sterley
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Govind Peringod
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jaideep S Bains
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
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169
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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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170
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Ruiz-Rizzo AL, Beissner F, Finke K, Müller HJ, Zimmer C, Pasquini L, Sorg C. Human subsystems of medial temporal lobes extend locally to amygdala nuclei and globally to an allostatic-interoceptive system. Neuroimage 2020; 207:116404. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
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171
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Coenen VA, Schlaepfer TE, Sajonz B, Döbrössy M, Kaller CP, Urbach H, Reisert M. Tractographic description of major subcortical projection pathways passing the anterior limb of the internal capsule. Corticopetal organization of networks relevant for psychiatric disorders. Neuroimage Clin 2020; 25:102165. [PMID: 31954987 PMCID: PMC6965747 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depression (MD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are psychiatric diseases with a huge impact on individual well-being. Despite optimal treatment regiments a subgroup of patients remains treatment resistant and stereotactic surgery (stereotactic lesion surgery, SLS or Deep Brain Stimulation, DBS) might be an option. Recent research has described four networks related to MD and OCD (affect, reward, cognitive control, default network) but only on a cortical and the adjacent sub-cortical level. Despite the enormous impact of comparative neuroanatomy, animal science and stereotactic approaches a holistic theory of subcortical and cortical network interactions is elusive. Because of the dominant hierarchical rank of the neocortex, corticofugal approaches have been used to identify connections in subcortical anatomy without anatomical priors and in part confusing results. We here propose a different corticopetal approach by identifying subcortical networks and search for neocortical convergences thereby following the principle of phylogenetic and ontogenetic network development. MATERIAL AND METHODS This work used a diffusion tensor imaging data from a normative cohort (Human Connectome Project, HCP; n = 200) to describe eight subcortical fiber projection pathways (PPs) from subthalamic nucleus (STN), substantia nigra (SNR), red nucleus (RN), ventral tegmental area (VTA), ventrolateral thalamus (VLT) and mediodorsal thalamus (MDT) in a normative space (MNI). Subcortical and cortical convergences were described including an assignment of the specific pathways to MD/OCD-related networks. Volumes of activated tissue for different stereotactic stimulation sites and procedures were simulated to understand the role of the distinct networks, with respect to symptoms and treatment of OCD and MD. RESULTS The detailed course of eight subcortical PPs (stnPP, snrPP, rnPP, vlATR, vlATRc, mdATR, mdATRc, vtaPP/slMFB) were described together with their subcortical and cortical convergences. The anterior limb of the internal capsule can be subdivided with respect to network occurrences in ventral-dorsal and medio-lateral gradients. Simulation of stereotactic procedures for OCD and MD showed dominant involvement of mdATR/mdATRc (affect network) and vtaPP/slMFB (reward network). DISCUSSION Corticofugal search strategies for the evaluation of stereotactic approaches without anatomical priors often lead to confusing results which do not allow for a clear assignment of a procedure to an involved network. According to our simulation of stereotactic procedures in the treatment of OCD and MD, most of the target regions directly involve the reward (and affect) networks, while side-effects can in part be explained with a co-modulation of the control network. CONCLUSION The here proposed corticopetal approach of a hierarchical description of 8 subcortical PPs with subcortical and cortical convergences represents a new systematics of networks found in all different evolutionary and distinct parts of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker A Coenen
- Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Freiburg University Medical Center and Medical Faculty of Freiburg University, Breisacher Strasse 64, Freiburg im Breisgau 79106, Germany; Center for Basics in Neuromodulation, Freiburg University, Germany.
| | - Thomas E Schlaepfer
- Department of Interventional Biological Psychiatry, Freiburg University Medical Center and Medical Faculty of Freiburg University, Germany
| | - Bastian Sajonz
- Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Freiburg University Medical Center and Medical Faculty of Freiburg University, Breisacher Strasse 64, Freiburg im Breisgau 79106, Germany
| | - Máté Döbrössy
- Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Freiburg University Medical Center and Medical Faculty of Freiburg University, Breisacher Strasse 64, Freiburg im Breisgau 79106, Germany
| | - Christoph P Kaller
- Department of Neuroradiology, Freiburg University Medical Center and Medical Faculty of Freiburg University, Germany
| | - Horst Urbach
- Department of Neuroradiology, Freiburg University Medical Center and Medical Faculty of Freiburg University, Germany
| | - Marco Reisert
- Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Freiburg University Medical Center and Medical Faculty of Freiburg University, Breisacher Strasse 64, Freiburg im Breisgau 79106, Germany
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172
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Rodríguez M, Ceric F, Murgas P, Harland B, Torrealba F, Contreras M. Interoceptive Insular Cortex Mediates Both Innate Fear and Contextual Threat Conditioning to Predator Odor. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 13:283. [PMID: 31998093 PMCID: PMC6962178 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The insular cortex (IC), among other brain regions, becomes active when humans experience fear or anxiety. However, few experimental studies in rats have implicated the IC in threat responses. We have recently reported that inactivation of the primary interoceptive cortex (pIC) during pre-training, or the intra-pIC blockade of protein synthesis immediately after training, impaired the consolidation of auditory fear conditioning. The present study was designed to investigate the role of the pIC in innate and learned defensive responses to predator odor. Freezing behavior was elicited by single or repetitive exposures to a collar that had been worn by a domestic cat. Sessions were video-recorded and later scored by video observation. We found that muscimol inactivation of the pIC reduced the expression of freezing reaction in response to a single or repeated exposure to cat odor. We also found that pIC inactivation with muscimol impaired conditioning of fear to the context in which rats were exposed to cat odor. Furthermore, neosaxitoxin inactivation of the pIC resulted in a prolonged and robust reduction in freezing response in subsequent re-exposures to cat odor. In addition, freezing behavior significantly correlated with the neural activity of the IC. The present results suggest that the IC is involved in the expression of both innate and learned fear responses to predator odor.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Rodríguez
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Ceric
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Afectiva, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Paola Murgas
- Centro de Biología Integrativa, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - Bruce Harland
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Fernando Torrealba
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Marco Contreras
- Centro de Biología Integrativa, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
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173
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Mendes-Gomes J, Motta SC, Passoni Bindi R, de Oliveira AR, Ullah F, Baldo MVC, Coimbra NC, Canteras NS, Blanchard DC. Defensive behaviors and brain regional activation changes in rats confronting a snake. Behav Brain Res 2020; 381:112469. [PMID: 31917239 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we examined behavioral and brain regional activation changes of rats). To a nonmammalian predator, a wild rattler snake (Crotalus durissus terrificus). Accordingly, during snake threat, rat subjects showed a striking and highly significant behavioral response of freezing, stretch attend, and, especially, spatial avoidance of this threat. The brain regional activation patterns for these rats were in broad outline similar to those of rats encountering other predator threats, showing Fos activation of sites in the amygdala, hypothalamus, and periaqueductal gray matter. In the amygdala, only the lateral nucleus showed significant activation, although the medial nucleus, highly responsive to olfaction, also showed higher activation. Importantly, the hypothalamus, in particular, was somewhat different, with significant Fos increases in the anterior and central parts of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), in contrast to patterns of enhanced Fos expression in the dorsomedial VMH to cat predators, and in the ventrolateral VMH to an attacking conspecific. In addition, the juxtodorsalmedial region of the lateral hypothalamus showed enhanced Fos activation, where inputs from the septo-hippocampal system may suggest the potential involvement of hippocampal boundary cells in the very strong spatial avoidance of the snake and the area it occupied. Notably, these two hypothalamic paths appear to merge into the dorsomedial part of the dorsal premammillary nucleus and dorsomedial and lateral parts of the periaqueductal gray, all of which present significant increases in Fos expression and are likely to be critical for the expression of defensive behaviors in responses to the snake threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce Mendes-Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Ophidiarium LNN-FMRP-USP/INeC, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto (SP), 14049-900, Brazil; NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto (SP), 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Simone Cristina Motta
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Passoni Bindi
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Amanda Ribeiro de Oliveira
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Farhad Ullah
- Department of Zoology, Islamia College University, Grand Trunk Rd, Rahat Abad, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan
| | - Marcus Vinicius C Baldo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Norberto Cysne Coimbra
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Ophidiarium LNN-FMRP-USP/INeC, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto (SP), 14049-900, Brazil; NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto (SP), 14049-900, Brazil.
| | - Newton Sabino Canteras
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil.
| | - D Caroline Blanchard
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil; Pacific Biosciences Research Centre, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States of America
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174
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dos Anjos-Garcia T, Coimbra NC. Anandamide in the anterior hypothalamus diminishes defensive responses elicited in mice threatened by Epicrates cenchria constrictor serpents. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars) 2020. [DOI: 10.21307/ane-2020-017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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175
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Li JN, Sheets PL. Spared nerve injury differentially alters parabrachial monosynaptic excitatory inputs to molecularly specific neurons in distinct subregions of the central amygdala. Pain 2020; 161:166-176. [PMID: 31479066 PMCID: PMC6940027 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Dissecting the organization of circuit pathways involved in pain affect is pivotal for understanding behavior associated with noxious sensory inputs. The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) comprises distinct populations of inhibitory GABAergic neurons expressing a wide range of molecular markers. CeA circuits are associated with aversive learning and nociceptive responses. The CeA receives nociceptive signals directly from the parabrachial nucleus (PBn), contributing to the affective and emotional aspects of pain. Although the CeA has emerged as an important node in pain processing, key questions remain regarding the specific targeting of PBn inputs to different CeA subregions and cell types. We used a multifaceted approach involving transgenic reporter mice, viral vector-mediated optogenetics, and brain slice electrophysiology to delineate cell-type-specific functional organization of the PBn-CeA pathway. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings of molecularly defined CeA neurons while optogenetically driving long-range inputs originating from PBn revealed the direct monosynaptic excitatory inputs from PBn neurons to 3 major subdivisions of the CeA: laterocapsular (CeC), lateral (CeL), and medial (CeM). Direct monosynaptic excitatory inputs from PBn targeted both somatostatin-expressing (SOM+) and corticotropin-releasing hormone expressing (CRH+) neurons in the CeA. We find that monosynaptic PBn input is preferentially organized to molecularly specific neurons in distinct subdivisions of the CeA. The spared nerve injury model of neuropathic pain differentially altered PBn monosynaptic excitatory input to CeA neurons based on molecular identity and topographical location within the CeA. These results provide insight into the functional organization of affective pain pathways and how they are altered by chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Nan Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Patrick L. Sheets
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
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176
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Lefler Y, Campagner D, Branco T. The role of the periaqueductal gray in escape behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 60:115-121. [PMID: 31864105 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Escape behavior is a defensive action deployed by animals in response to imminent threats. In mammalian species, a variety of different brain circuits are known to participate in this crucial survival behavior. One of these circuits is the periaqueductal gray, a midbrain structure that can command a variety of instinctive behaviors. Recent experiments using modern systems neuroscience techniques have begun to elucidate the specific role of the periaqueductal gray in controlling escape. These have shown that periaqueductal gray neurons are crucial units for gating and commanding the initiation of escape, specifically activated in situations of imminent, escapable threat. In addition, it is becoming clear that the periaqueductal gray integrates brain-wide information that can modulate escape initiation to generate flexible defensive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaara Lefler
- UCL Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London W1T 4JG, UK
| | - Dario Campagner
- UCL Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London W1T 4JG, UK; UCL Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, London W1T 4JG, UK
| | - Tiago Branco
- UCL Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London W1T 4JG, UK.
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177
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Dzafic I, Oestreich L, Martin AK, Mowry B, Burianová H. Stria terminalis, amygdala, and temporoparietal junction networks facilitate efficient emotion processing under expectations. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:5382-5396. [PMID: 31460690 PMCID: PMC6864902 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapid emotion processing is an ecologically essential ability for survival in social environments in which threatening or advantageous encounters dynamically and rapidly occur. Efficient emotion recognition is subserved by different processes, depending on one's expectations; however, the underlying functional and structural circuitry is still poorly understood. In this study, we delineate brain networks that subserve fast recognition of emotion in situations either congruent or incongruent with prior expectations. For this purpose, we used multimodal neuroimaging and investigated performance on a dynamic emotion perception task. We show that the extended amygdala structural and functional networks relate to speed of emotion processing under threatening conditions. Specifically, increased microstructure of the right stria terminalis, an amygdala white-matter pathway, was related to faster detection of emotion during actual presentation of anger or after cueing anger. Moreover, functional connectivity of right amygdala with limbic regions was related to faster detection of anger congruent with cue, suggesting selective attention to threat. On the contrary, we found that faster detection of anger incongruent with cue engaged the ventral attention "reorienting" network. Faster detection of happiness, in either expectancy context, engaged a widespread frontotemporal-subcortical functional network. These findings shed light on the functional and structural circuitries that facilitate speed of emotion recognition and, for the first time, elucidate a role for the stria terminalis in human emotion processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilvana Dzafic
- Queensland Brain InstituteUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- Centre for Advanced ImagingUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain FunctionAustralia
| | - Lena Oestreich
- Centre for Advanced ImagingUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- University of Queensland Centre for Clinical ResearchBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Andrew K. Martin
- University of Queensland Centre for Clinical ResearchBrisbaneAustralia
- Department of PsychologyDurham UniversityDurhamUK
| | - Bryan Mowry
- Queensland Brain InstituteUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health ResearchBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Hana Burianová
- Centre for Advanced ImagingUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- Department of PsychologySwansea UniversitySwanseaUnited Kingdom
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178
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Neural circuits for coping with social defeat. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 60:99-107. [PMID: 31837481 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
When resources, such as food, territory, and potential mates are limited, competition among animals of the same species is inevitable. Over bouts of agonistic interactions, winners and losers are determined. Losing is a traumatic experience, both physically and psychologically. Losers not only need to deploy a set of species-specific defensive behaviors to minimize the physical damage during defeat, but also adjust their behavior towards the winners to avoid future fights in which they are likely disadvantaged. The expression of defensive behaviors and the fast and long-lasting changes in behaviors accompanying defeat must be supported by a complex neural circuit. This review summarizes the brain regions that have been implicated in coping with social defeat, one centered on basolateral amygdala and the other on ventromedial hypothalamus. Gaps in our knowledge and hypotheses that may help guide future experiments are also discussed.
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179
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The association between serotonin transporter availability and the neural correlates of fear bradycardia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:25941-25947. [PMID: 31772023 PMCID: PMC6925990 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1904843116] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Reduced expression of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) is associated with susceptibility to stress-related psychopathology, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We investigated whether an aberrant physiological and neural response to threat underlies this increased vulnerability. In a cross-species approach, we investigated the association between genetically encoded differences in 5-HTT expression and the neural correlates of fear bradycardia, a defensive response linked to vigilance. In both humans and rats, reduced 5-HTT expression was associated with exaggerated bradycardia or bradycardia-associated freezing, reduced activity of the medial prefrontal cortex, and increased threat-induced amygdala-periaqueductal grey connectivity and central amygdala somatostatin neuron activity. We have delineated a previously unknown neurogenetic mechanism underlying individual differences in the expression of anticipatory threat responses, contributing to stress sensitivity. Susceptibility to stress-related psychopathology is associated with reduced expression of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT), particularly in combination with stress exposure. Aberrant physiological and neuronal responses to threat may underlie this increased vulnerability. Here, implementing a cross-species approach, we investigated the association between 5-HTT expression and the neural correlates of fear bradycardia, a defensive response linked to vigilance and action preparation. We tested this during threat anticipation induced by a well-established fear conditioning paradigm applied in both humans and rodents. In humans, we studied the effect of the common 5-HTT-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) on bradycardia and neural responses to anticipatory threat during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning in healthy volunteers (n = 104). Compared with homozygous long-allele carriers, the 5-HTTLPR short-allele carriers displayed an exaggerated bradycardic response to threat, overall reduced activation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and increased threat-induced connectivity between the amygdala and periaqueductal gray (PAG), which statistically mediated the effect of the 5-HTTLPR genotype on bradycardia. In parallel, 5-HTT knockout (KO) rats also showed exaggerated threat-related bradycardia and behavioral freezing. Immunohistochemistry indicated overall reduced activity of glutamatergic neurons in the mPFC of KO rats and increased activity of central amygdala somatostatin-positive neurons, putatively projecting to the PAG, which—similarly to the human population—mediated the 5-HTT genotype’s effect on freezing. Moreover, the ventrolateral PAG of KO rats displayed elevated overall activity and increased relative activation of CaMKII-expressing projection neurons. Our results provide a mechanistic explanation for previously reported associations between 5-HTT gene variance and a stress-sensitive phenotype.
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180
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Rosén J, Kastrati G, Reppling A, Bergkvist K, Åhs F. The effect of immersive virtual reality on proximal and conditioned threat. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17407. [PMID: 31758051 PMCID: PMC6874534 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53971-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Virtual reality lets the user be immersed in a 3-dimensional environment, which can enhance certain emotional responses to stimuli relative to experiencing them on a flat computer screen. We here tested whether displaying two different types of threats in immersive virtual reality enhanced threat related autonomic responses measured by skin conductance responses (SCRs). We studied innate and learned threat responses because these types of threats have been shown to depend on different neural circuits in animals. Therefore, it is possible that immersive virtual reality may modulate one of these threats but not the other. Innate threat responses were provoked by the sudden appearance of characters at proximal egocentric distance, which were compared to the sudden appearance of distant characters (proximal threat). Learned threat responses were studied by conditioning two of the characters to an electric shock (conditioned threat) and contrasting SCRs to these characters with SCRs to two other characters that were never paired with shock. We found that displaying stimuli in immersive virtual reality enhanced proximal threat responses but not conditioned threat responses. Findings show that immersive virtual reality can enhance an innate type of threat responses without affecting a learned threat response, suggesting that separate neural pathways serve these threat responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörgen Rosén
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Granit Kastrati
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Aksel Reppling
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Klas Bergkvist
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Åhs
- Department of Psychology and Social Work, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden
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181
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Brandl F, Mulej Bratec S, Xie X, Wohlschläger AM, Riedl V, Meng C, Sorg C. Increased Global Interaction Across Functional Brain Modules During Cognitive Emotion Regulation. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:3082-3094. [PMID: 28981646 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive emotion regulation (CER) enables humans to flexibly modulate their emotions. While local theories of CER neurobiology suggest interactions between specialized local brain circuits underlying CER, e.g., in subparts of amygdala and medial prefrontal cortices (mPFC), global theories hypothesize global interaction increases among larger functional brain modules comprising local circuits. We tested the global CER hypothesis using graph-based whole-brain network analysis of functional MRI data during aversive emotional processing with and without CER. During CER, global between-module interaction across stable functional network modules increased. Global interaction increase was particularly driven by subregions of amygdala and cuneus-nodes of highest nodal participation-that overlapped with CER-specific local activations, and by mPFC and posterior cingulate as relevant connector hubs. Results provide evidence for the global nature of human CER, complementing functional specialization of embedded local brain circuits during successful CER.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Brandl
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Satja Mulej Bratec
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany.,Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhaderner Strasse 2, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Xiyao Xie
- TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Leopoldstrasse 13, Munich, Germany
| | - Afra M Wohlschläger
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Valentin Riedl
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany
| | - Chun Meng
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany.,Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christian Sorg
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany
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182
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Daviu N, Bruchas MR, Moghaddam B, Sandi C, Beyeler A. Neurobiological links between stress and anxiety. Neurobiol Stress 2019; 11:100191. [PMID: 31467945 PMCID: PMC6712367 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2019.100191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress and anxiety have intertwined behavioral and neural underpinnings. These commonalities are critical for understanding each state, as well as their mutual interactions. Grasping the mechanisms underlying this bidirectional relationship will have major clinical implications for managing a wide range of psychopathologies. After briefly defining key concepts for the study of stress and anxiety in pre-clinical models, we present circuit, as well as cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in either or both stress and anxiety. First, we review studies on divergent circuits of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) underlying emotional valence processing and anxiety-like behaviors, and how norepinephrine inputs from the locus coeruleus (LC) to the BLA are responsible for acute-stress induced anxiety. We then describe recent studies revealing a new role for mitochondrial function within the nucleus accumbens (NAc), defining individual trait anxiety in rodents, and participating in the link between stress and anxiety. Next, we report findings on the impact of anxiety on reward encoding through alteration of circuit dynamic synchronicity. Finally, we present work unravelling a new role for hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in controlling anxiety-like and stress-induce behaviors. Altogether, the research reviewed here reveals circuits sharing subcortical nodes and underlying the processing of both stress and anxiety. Understanding the neural overlap between these two psychobiological states, might provide alternative strategies to manage disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Daviu
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute. Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Michael R. Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion. University of Washington. 1959 NE Pacific Street, J-wing Health Sciences. Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Bita Moghaddam
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Carmen Sandi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 19, CH, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anna Beyeler
- Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM 1215, Université de Bordeaux, 146 Rue Léo Saignat, 33000 Bordeaux, France
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183
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Gendron CM, Chakraborty TS, Chung BY, Harvanek ZM, Holme KJ, Johnson JC, Lyu Y, Munneke AS, Pletcher SD. Neuronal Mechanisms that Drive Organismal Aging Through the Lens of Perception. Annu Rev Physiol 2019; 82:227-249. [PMID: 31635526 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-021119-034440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Sensory neurons provide organisms with data about the world in which they live, for the purpose of successfully exploiting their environment. The consequences of sensory perception are not simply limited to decision-making behaviors; evidence suggests that sensory perception directly influences physiology and aging, a phenomenon that has been observed in animals across taxa. Therefore, understanding the neural mechanisms by which sensory input influences aging may uncover novel therapeutic targets for aging-related physiologies. In this review, we examine different perceptive experiences that have been most clearly linked to aging or age-related disease: food perception, social perception, time perception, and threat perception. For each, the sensory cues, receptors, and/or pathways that influence aging as well as the individual or groups of neurons involved, if known, are discussed. We conclude with general thoughts about the potential impact of this line of research on human health and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christi M Gendron
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and the Geriatrics Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
| | - Tuhin S Chakraborty
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and the Geriatrics Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
| | - Brian Y Chung
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and the Geriatrics Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
| | - Zachary M Harvanek
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and the Geriatrics Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
| | - Kristina J Holme
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and the Geriatrics Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
| | - Jacob C Johnson
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and the Geriatrics Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
| | - Yang Lyu
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and the Geriatrics Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
| | - Allyson S Munneke
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Scott D Pletcher
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and the Geriatrics Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA; .,Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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184
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Wee CL, Nikitchenko M, Wang WC, Luks-Morgan SJ, Song E, Gagnon JA, Randlett O, Bianco IH, Lacoste AMB, Glushenkova E, Barrios JP, Schier AF, Kunes S, Engert F, Douglass AD. Zebrafish oxytocin neurons drive nocifensive behavior via brainstem premotor targets. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:1477-1492. [PMID: 31358991 PMCID: PMC6820349 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0452-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Animals have evolved specialized neural circuits to defend themselves from pain- and injury-causing stimuli. Using a combination of optical, behavioral and genetic approaches in the larval zebrafish, we describe a novel role for hypothalamic oxytocin (OXT) neurons in the processing of noxious stimuli. In vivo imaging revealed that a large and distributed fraction of zebrafish OXT neurons respond strongly to noxious inputs, including the activation of damage-sensing TRPA1 receptors. OXT population activity reflects the sensorimotor transformation of the noxious stimulus, with some neurons encoding sensory information and others correlating more strongly with large-angle swims. Notably, OXT neuron activation is sufficient to generate this defensive behavior via the recruitment of brainstem premotor targets, whereas ablation of OXT neurons or loss of the peptide attenuates behavioral responses to TRPA1 activation. These data highlight a crucial role for OXT neurons in the generation of appropriate defensive responses to noxious input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline L Wee
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maxim Nikitchenko
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Wei-Chun Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Sasha J Luks-Morgan
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Erin Song
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - James A Gagnon
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Owen Randlett
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Isaac H Bianco
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alix M B Lacoste
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Elena Glushenkova
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Joshua P Barrios
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Alexander F Schier
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
- FAS Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Samuel Kunes
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Florian Engert
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Adam D Douglass
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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185
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Cannabidiol attenuates aggressive behavior induced by social isolation in mice: Involvement of 5-HT1A and CB1 receptors. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 94:109637. [PMID: 31054943 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Long-term single housing increases aggressive behavior in mice, a condition named isolation-induced aggression or territorial aggression, which can be attenuated by anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antipsychotic drugs. Preclinical and clinical findings indicate that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotomimetic compound from Cannabis sativa, has anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antipsychotic properties. Few studies, however, have investigated the effects of CBD on aggressive behaviors. Here, we investigated whether CBD (5, 15, 30, and 60 mg/kg; i.p.) could attenuate social isolation-induced aggressive behavior in the resident-intruder test. Male Swiss mice (7-8 weeks) were single-housed for 10 days (resident mice) to induce aggressive behaviors, while conspecific mice of same sex and age (intruder mice) were group-housed. During the test, the intruder was placed into the resident's home-cage and aggressive behaviors initiated by the resident, including the latency for the first attack, number of attacks, and total duration of aggressive encounters, were recorded. The involvement of 5-HT1A and CB1 receptors (CB1R) in the effects of CBD was also investigated. All tested CBD doses induced anti-aggressive effects, indicated by a decrease in the number of attacks. CBD, at intermediary doses (15 and 30 mg/kg), also increased latency to attack the intruder and decreased the duration of aggressive encounters. No CBD dose interfered with locomotor behavior. CBD anti-aggressive effects were attenuated by the 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY100635 (0.3 mg/kg) and the CB1 antagonist AM251 (1 mg/kg), suggesting that CBD decreases social isolation-induced aggressive behaviors through a mechanism associated with the activation of 5-HT1A and CB1 receptors. Also, CBD decreased c-Fos protein expression, a neuronal activity marker, in the lateral periaqueductal gray (lPAG) in social-isolated mice exposed to the resident-intruder test, indicating a potential involvement of this brain region in the drug effects. Taken together, our findings suggest that CBD may be therapeutically useful to treat aggressive behaviors that are usually associated with psychiatric disorders.
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186
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Zanette LY, Hobbs EC, Witterick LE, MacDougall-Shackleton SA, Clinchy M. Predator-induced fear causes PTSD-like changes in the brains and behaviour of wild animals. Sci Rep 2019; 9:11474. [PMID: 31391473 PMCID: PMC6685979 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47684-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Predator-induced fear is both, one of the most common stressors employed in animal model studies of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a major focus of research in ecology. There has been a growing discourse between these disciplines but no direct empirical linkage. We endeavoured to provide this empirical linkage by conducting experiments drawing upon the strengths of both disciplines. Exposure to a natural cue of predator danger (predator vocalizations), had enduring effects of at least 7 days duration involving both, a heightened sensitivity to predator danger (indicative of an enduring memory of fear), and elevated neuronal activation in both the amygdala and hippocampus – in wild birds (black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus), exposed to natural environmental and social experiences in the 7 days following predator exposure. Our results demonstrate enduring effects on the brain and behaviour, meeting the criteria to be considered an animal model of PTSD – in a wild animal, which are of a nature and degree which can be anticipated could affect fecundity and survival in free-living wildlife. We suggest our findings support both the proposition that PTSD is not unnatural, and that long-lasting effects of predator-induced fear, with likely effects on fecundity and survival, are the norm in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana Y Zanette
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada.
| | - Emma C Hobbs
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Lauren E Witterick
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Scott A MacDougall-Shackleton
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada.,The Advanced Facility for Avian Research, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Michael Clinchy
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
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187
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Mobbs D, Adolphs R, Fanselow MS, Barrett LF, LeDoux JE, Ressler K, Tye KM. Viewpoints: Approaches to defining and investigating fear. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:1205-1216. [PMID: 31332374 PMCID: PMC6943931 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0456-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
There is disagreement on how best to define and investigate fear. Nature Neuroscience asked Dean Mobbs to lead experts from the fields of human and animal affective neuroscience to discuss their viewpoints on how to define fear and how to move forward with the study of fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean Mobbs
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA.
| | - Ralph Adolphs
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Michael S Fanselow
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joseph E LeDoux
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA
- Nathan Kline Institute, New York State Office of Mental Health, New York, New York, USA
- Departments of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical School, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kerry Ressler
- Division of Depression & Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kay M Tye
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, USA
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188
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Careaga MBL, Girardi CEN, Suchecki D. Variability in response to severe stress: highly reactive rats exhibit changes in fear and anxiety-like behavior related to distinct neuronal co-activation patterns. Behav Brain Res 2019; 373:112078. [PMID: 31336139 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
There is an important individual variability in development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and this feature needs to be better addressed in preclinical studies. Previously we showed that only rats that explored the context before a foot shock (delayed shock group) exhibited long-lasting behavioral changes. In this study the delayed shock group was segregated using the freezing response upon re-exposure to the shock-paired context and we investigated whether higher reactivity would be related to behavioral alterations and to activation of brain regions using Fos immunoreactivity. The latter allowed the analysis of co-activity patterns among brain regions within each group, by creating connectivity maps. High responder rats (HR) displayed heightened freezing response upon context re-exposure, anxiety-like behavior, impaired exploratory behavior and fear sensitization. Fos analysis showed that HR displayed a negative correlation between the medial prefrontal cortex and the ventral hippocampus (vHPC) after the first context re-exposure. After the second context re-exposure, HR displayed reduced Fos expression in vHPC CA1 area, whereas low responders (LR) showed increased Fos in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus. Pearson correlation analyses revealed positive associations between freezing and Fos in the dorsal the periaqueductal gray and vHPC after exposure to unfamiliar acoustic stimulus in a novel environment. Thus, assessment of individual variability allowed the identification of a subset of reactive animals that displayed behavioral modifications relevant to PTSD. Fos correlation and network analyses revealed co-activity patterns in HR rats that may point out to associations of brain areas relevant to the behavioral outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carlos Eduardo Neves Girardi
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/Escola Paulista de Medicina - UNIFESP/EPM, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Deborah Suchecki
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/Escola Paulista de Medicina - UNIFESP/EPM, São Paulo, Brazil
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189
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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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190
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Koizumi R, Kiyokawa Y, Tanaka KD, Tanikawa T, Takeuchi Y. Novel objects elicit greater activation in the basolateral complex of the amygdala of wild rats compared with laboratory rats. J Vet Med Sci 2019; 81:1121-1128. [PMID: 31270283 PMCID: PMC6715923 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.19-0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Wild animals tend to avoid novel objects that do not elicit clear avoidance behaviors in
domesticated animals. We previously found that the basolateral complex of the amygdala
(BLA) and dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (dBNST) were larger in trapped wild
rats compared with laboratory rats. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that the BLA
and/or dBNST would be differentially activated when wild and laboratory rats showed
different avoidance behaviors towards novel objects. In this study, we placed novel
objects at one end of the home cage. We measured the time spent in that half of the cage
and expressed the data as a percentage of the time spent in that region with no object
placement. We found that this percentage was lower in the wild rats compared with the
laboratory rats. These behavioral differences were accompanied by increased Fos expression
in the BLA, but not in the dBNST, of the wild rats. These results suggest that wild rats
show greater BLA activation compared with laboratory rats in response to novel objects. We
also found increased Fos expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus,
ventral BNST, and ventromedial hypothalamus, but not in the central amygdala of wild rats.
Taken together, our data represent new information regarding differences in behavioral and
neural responses towards novel objects in wild vs. laboratory rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoko Koizumi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Yasushi Kiyokawa
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Kazuyuki D Tanaka
- Technical Research Laboratory, Ikari Shodoku Corporation, 1-12-3 Akanehama, Narashino-shi, Chiba 275-0024, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Tanikawa
- Technical Research Laboratory, Ikari Shodoku Corporation, 1-12-3 Akanehama, Narashino-shi, Chiba 275-0024, Japan
| | - Yukari Takeuchi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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191
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Barrett LF, Adolphs R, Marsella S, Martinez A, Pollak SD. Emotional Expressions Reconsidered: Challenges to Inferring Emotion From Human Facial Movements. Psychol Sci Public Interest 2019; 20:1-68. [PMID: 31313636 PMCID: PMC6640856 DOI: 10.1177/1529100619832930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 384] [Impact Index Per Article: 76.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
It is commonly assumed that a person's emotional state can be readily inferred from his or her facial movements, typically called emotional expressions or facial expressions. This assumption influences legal judgments, policy decisions, national security protocols, and educational practices; guides the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric illness, as well as the development of commercial applications; and pervades everyday social interactions as well as research in other scientific fields such as artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and computer vision. In this article, we survey examples of this widespread assumption, which we refer to as the common view, and we then examine the scientific evidence that tests this view, focusing on the six most popular emotion categories used by consumers of emotion research: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. The available scientific evidence suggests that people do sometimes smile when happy, frown when sad, scowl when angry, and so on, as proposed by the common view, more than what would be expected by chance. Yet how people communicate anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise varies substantially across cultures, situations, and even across people within a single situation. Furthermore, similar configurations of facial movements variably express instances of more than one emotion category. In fact, a given configuration of facial movements, such as a scowl, often communicates something other than an emotional state. Scientists agree that facial movements convey a range of information and are important for social communication, emotional or otherwise. But our review suggests an urgent need for research that examines how people actually move their faces to express emotions and other social information in the variety of contexts that make up everyday life, as well as careful study of the mechanisms by which people perceive instances of emotion in one another. We make specific research recommendations that will yield a more valid picture of how people move their faces to express emotions and how they infer emotional meaning from facial movements in situations of everyday life. This research is crucial to provide consumers of emotion research with the translational information they require.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Northeastern University, Department of Psychology, Boston, MA
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston MA
| | - Ralph Adolphs
- California Institute of Technology, Departments of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Biology,Pasadena, CA
| | - Stacy Marsella
- Northeastern University, Department of Psychology, Boston, MA
- Northeastern University, College of Computer and Information Science, Boston, MA
- University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Aleix Martinez
- The Ohio State University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Columbus, OH
| | - Seth D. Pollak
- University of Wisconsin - Madison, Department of Psychology, Madison, WI
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192
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Terpou BA, Harricharan S, McKinnon MC, Frewen P, Jetly R, Lanius RA. The effects of trauma on brain and body: A unifying role for the midbrain periaqueductal gray. J Neurosci Res 2019; 97:1110-1140. [PMID: 31254294 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a diagnosis that may follow the experience of trauma, has multiple symptomatic phenotypes. Generally, individuals with PTSD display symptoms of hyperarousal and of hyperemotionality in the presence of fearful stimuli. A subset of individuals with PTSD; however, elicit dissociative symptomatology (i.e., depersonalization, derealization) in the wake of a perceived threat. This pattern of response characterizes the dissociative subtype of the disorder, which is often associated with emotional numbing and hypoarousal. Both symptomatic phenotypes exhibit attentional threat biases, where threat stimuli are processed preferentially leading to a hypervigilant state that is thought to promote defensive behaviors during threat processing. Accordingly, PTSD and its dissociative subtype are thought to differ in their proclivity to elicit active (i.e., fight, flight) versus passive (i.e., tonic immobility, emotional shutdown) defensive responses, which are characterized by the increased and the decreased expression of the sympathetic nervous system, respectively. Moreover, active and passive defenses are accompanied by primarily endocannabinoid- and opioid-mediated analgesics, respectively. Through critical review of the literature, we apply the defense cascade model to better understand the pathological presentation of defensive responses in PTSD with a focus on the functioning of lower-level midbrain and extended brainstem systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braeden A Terpou
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Margaret C McKinnon
- Mood Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Homewood Research Institute, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul Frewen
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Canadian Forces, Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Ruth A Lanius
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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193
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194
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Zhou Z, Liu X, Chen S, Zhang Z, Liu Y, Montardy Q, Tang Y, Wei P, Liu N, Li L, Song R, Lai J, He X, Chen C, Bi G, Feng G, Xu F, Wang L. A VTA GABAergic Neural Circuit Mediates Visually Evoked Innate Defensive Responses. Neuron 2019; 103:473-488.e6. [PMID: 31202540 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Innate defensive responses are essential for animal survival and are conserved across species. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays important roles in learned appetitive and aversive behaviors, but whether it plays a role in mediating or modulating innate defensive responses is currently unknown. We report that VTAGABA+ neurons respond to a looming stimulus. Inhibition of VTAGABA+ neurons reduced looming-evoked defensive flight behavior, and photoactivation of these neurons resulted in defense-like flight behavior. Using viral tracing and electrophysiological recordings, we show that VTAGABA+ neurons receive direct excitatory inputs from the superior colliculus (SC). Furthermore, we show that glutamatergic SC-VTA projections synapse onto VTAGABA+ neurons that project to the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and that the CeA is involved in mediating the defensive behavior. Our findings demonstrate that aerial threat-related visual information is relayed to VTAGABA+ neurons mediating innate behavioral responses, suggesting a more general role of the VTA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Zhou
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xuemei Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shanping Chen
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhijian Zhang
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems and State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, CAS, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yuanming Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Quentin Montardy
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yongqiang Tang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Pengfei Wei
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Nan Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lei Li
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ru Song
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Juan Lai
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiaobin He
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems and State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, CAS, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Guoqiang Bi
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Guoping Feng
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Fuqiang Xu
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems and State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, CAS, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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195
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Dos Anjos-Garcia T, Coimbra NC. Opposing roles of dorsomedial hypothalamic CB1 and TRPV1 receptors in anandamide signaling during the panic-like response elicited in mice by Brazilian rainbow Boidae snakes. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:1863-1874. [PMID: 30694375 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-5170-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The endocannabinoid system plays an important role in the organization of panic-like defensive behavior. Threatening situations stimulate brain areas, such as the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH). However, there is a lack of studies addressing the role of the DMH endocannabinoid system in panic-like responses. OBJECTIVES We aimed to verify which mechanisms underlie anandamide-mediated responses in the DMH. METHODS To test the hypothesis that the anandamide produces panicolytic-like effects, we treated mice with intra-DMH microinjections of vehicle or increasing doses of anandamide (0.5, 5, or 50 pmol) and then performed confrontation with the South American snake Epicrates cenchria assisi. RESULTS Intra-DMH anandamide treatment yielded a U-shaped dose-response curve with no effect of the lowest (0.5 pmol) or the highest (50 pmol) dose and significant inhibition of panic-like responses at the intermediate (5 pmol) dose. In addition, this panicolytic-like effect was prevented by pretreatment of the DMH with the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (100 pmol). However, pretreatment of the DMH with the TRPV1 receptor antagonist 6-iodo-nordihydrocapsaicin (3 nmol) restored the panicolytic-like effect of the highest dose of anandamide. Immunohistochemistry revealed that CB1 receptors were present primarily on axonal fibers, while TRPV1 receptors were found almost exclusively surrounding the perikarya in DMH. CONCLUSIONS The present results suggest that anandamide exerts a panicolytic-like effect in the DMH by activation of CB1 receptors and that TRPV1 receptors are related to the lack of effect of the highest dose of anandamide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayllon Dos Anjos-Garcia
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil.,NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil.,Ophidiarium LNN-FMRP-USP/INeC, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Norberto Cysne Coimbra
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil. .,NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil. .,Ophidiarium LNN-FMRP-USP/INeC, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil. .,Behavioural Neuroscience Institute (INeC), Av. do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14050-220, Brazil.
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Couto-Pereira NDS, Lampert C, Vieira ADS, Lazzaretti C, Kincheski GC, Espejo PJ, Molina VA, Quillfeldt JA, Dalmaz C. Resilience and Vulnerability to Trauma: Early Life Interventions Modulate Aversive Memory Reconsolidation in the Dorsal Hippocampus. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:134. [PMID: 31191245 PMCID: PMC6546926 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life experiences program lifelong responses to stress. In agreement, resilience and vulnerability to psychopathologies, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), have been suggested to depend on the early background. New therapies have targeted memory reconsolidation as a strategy to modify the emotional valence of traumatic memories. Here, we used animal models to study the molecular mechanism through which early experiences may later affect aversive memory reconsolidation. Handling (H)—separation of pups from dams for 10 min—or maternal separation (MS) — 3-h separation—were performed from PDN1–10, using non-handled (NH) litters as controls. Adult males were trained in a contextual fear conditioning (CFC) task; 24 h later, a short reactivation session was conducted in the conditioned or in a novel context, followed by administration of midazolam 3 mg/kg i.p. (mdz), known to disturb reconsolidation, or vehicle; a test session was performed 24 h after. The immunocontent of relevant proteins was studied 15 and 60 min after memory reactivation in the dorsal hippocampus (dHc) and basolateral amygdala complex (BLA). Mdz-treated controls (NH) showed decreased freezing to the conditioned context, consistent with reconsolidation impairment, but H and MS were resistant to labilization. Additionally, MS males showed increased freezing to the novel context, suggesting fear generalization; H rats showed lower freezing than the other groups, in accordance with previous suggestions of reduced emotionality facing adversities. Increased levels of Zif268, GluN2B, β-actin and polyubiquitination found in the BLA of all groups suggest that memory reconsolidation was triggered. In the dHc, only NH showed increased Zif268 levels after memory retrieval; also, a delay in ERK1/2 activation was found in H and MS animals. We showed here that reconsolidation of a contextual fear memory is insensitive to interference by a GABAergic drug in adult male rats exposed to different neonatal experiences; surprisingly, we found no differences in the reconsolidation process in the BLA, but the dHc appears to suffer temporal desynchronization in the engagement of reconsolidation. Our results support a hippocampal-dependent mechanism for reconsolidation resistance in models of early experiences, which aligns with current hypotheses for the etiology of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natividade de Sá Couto-Pereira
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Carine Lampert
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Aline Dos Santos Vieira
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Camilla Lazzaretti
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Grasielle Clotildes Kincheski
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Pablo Javier Espejo
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (UNC), Cordoba, Argentina
| | - Victor Alejandro Molina
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (UNC), Cordoba, Argentina
| | - Jorge Alberto Quillfeldt
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Departamento de Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Carla Dalmaz
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
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197
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Steinman MQ, Duque-Wilckens N, Trainor BC. Complementary Neural Circuits for Divergent Effects of Oxytocin: Social Approach Versus Social Anxiety. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 85:792-801. [PMID: 30503164 PMCID: PMC6709863 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is widely known for promoting social interactions, but there is growing appreciation that it can sometimes induce avoidance of social contexts. The social salience hypothesis posed an innovative solution to these apparently opposing actions by proposing that OT enhances the salience of both positive and negative social interactions. The mesolimbic dopamine system was put forth as a likely system to evaluate social salience owing to its well-described role in motivation. Evidence from several sources supports the premise that OT acting within the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area facilitates social reward and approach behavior. However, in aversive social contexts, additional pathways play critical roles in mediating the effects of OT. Recent data indicate that OT acts in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to induce avoidance of potentially dangerous social contexts. Here, we review evidence for neural circuits mediating the effects of OT in appetitive and aversive social contexts. Specifically, we propose that distinct but potentially overlapping circuits mediate OT-dependent social approach or social avoidance. We conclude that a broader and more inclusive consideration of neural circuits of social approach and avoidance is needed as the field continues to evaluate the potential of OT-based therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Q Steinman
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Natalia Duque-Wilckens
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and Department of Physiology/Neuroscience, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Brian C Trainor
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.
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198
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Amir A, Kyriazi P, Lee SC, Headley DB, Paré D. Basolateral amygdala neurons are activated during threat expectation. J Neurophysiol 2019; 121:1761-1777. [PMID: 30840520 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00807.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear conditioning studies have led to the view that the amygdala contains neurons that signal threat and in turn elicit defensive behaviors through their brain stem and hypothalamic targets. In agreement with this model, a prior unit-recording study in rats performing a seminaturalistic foraging task revealed that many lateral amygdala (LA) neurons are predator responsive. In contrast, our previous study emphasized that most basolateral (BL) amygdala neurons are inhibited at proximity of the predator. However, the two studies used different methods to analyze unit activity, complicating comparisons between them. By applying the same method to the sample of BL neurons we recorded previously, the present study revealed that most principal cells are inhibited by the predator and only 4.5% are activated. Moreover, two-thirds of these cells were also activated by nonthreatening stimuli. In fact, fitting unit activity with a generalized linear model revealed that the only task variables associated with a prevalent positive modulation of BL activity were expectation of the predator's presence and whether the prior trial had been a failure or success. At odds with the threat-coding model of the amygdala, actual confrontation with the predator was usually associated with a widespread inhibition of principal BL neurons. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The basolateral amygdala (BL) is thought to contain neurons that signal threat, in turn eliciting defensive behaviors. In contrast, the present study reports that very few principal BL cells are responsive to threats and that most of them are also activated by nonthreatening stimuli. Yet, expectation of the threat's presence was associated with a prevalent positive modulation of BL activity; actual confrontation with the threat was associated with a widespread inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alon Amir
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University , Newark, New Jersey
| | - Pinelopi Kyriazi
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University , Newark, New Jersey.,Behavioral and Neural Sciences Graduate Program, Rutgers University , Newark, New Jersey
| | - Seung-Chan Lee
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University , Newark, New Jersey
| | - Drew B Headley
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University , Newark, New Jersey
| | - Denis Paré
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University , Newark, New Jersey
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199
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Dong P, Wang H, Shen XF, Jiang P, Zhu XT, Li Y, Gao JH, Lin S, Huang Y, He XB, Xu FQ, Duan S, Lian H, Wang H, Chen J, Li XM. A novel cortico-intrathalamic circuit for flight behavior. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:941-949. [DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0391-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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200
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Wang X, Chou X, Peng B, Shen L, Huang JJ, Zhang LI, Tao HW. A cross-modality enhancement of defensive flight via parvalbumin neurons in zona incerta. eLife 2019; 8:42728. [PMID: 30985276 PMCID: PMC6486150 DOI: 10.7554/elife.42728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to adjust defensive behavior is critical for animal survival in dynamic environments. However, neural circuits underlying the modulation of innate defensive behavior remain not well-understood. In particular, environmental threats are commonly associated with cues of multiple sensory modalities. It remains to be investigated how these modalities interact to shape defensive behavior. In this study, we report that auditory-induced defensive flight behavior can be facilitated by somatosensory input in mice. This cross-modality modulation of defensive behavior is mediated by the projection from the primary somatosensory cortex (SSp) to the ventral sector of zona incerta (ZIv). Parvalbumin (PV)-positive neurons in ZIv, receiving direct input from SSp, mediate the enhancement of the flight behavior via their projections to the medial posterior complex of thalamus (POm). Thus, defensive flight can be enhanced in a somatosensory context-dependent manner via recruiting PV neurons in ZIv, which may be important for increasing survival of prey animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyue Wang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Xiaolin Chou
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Bo Peng
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Li Shen
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Junxiang J Huang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States.,Graduate Program in Biomedical and Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Li I Zhang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States.,Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Huizhong W Tao
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States.,Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
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