1
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Kim DI, Park S, Park S, Ye M, Chen JY, Kang SJ, Jhang J, Hunker AC, Zweifel LS, Caron KM, Vaughan JM, Saghatelian A, Palmiter RD, Han S. Presynaptic sensor and silencer of peptidergic transmission reveal neuropeptides as primary transmitters in pontine fear circuit. Cell 2024:S0092-8674(24)00709-8. [PMID: 39043179 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Neurons produce and release neuropeptides to communicate with one another. Despite their importance in brain function, circuit-based mechanisms of peptidergic transmission are poorly understood, primarily due to the lack of tools for monitoring and manipulating neuropeptide release in vivo. Here, we report the development of two genetically encoded tools for investigating peptidergic transmission in behaving mice: a genetically encoded large dense core vesicle (LDCV) sensor that detects presynaptic neuropeptide release and a genetically encoded silencer that specifically degrades neuropeptides inside LDCVs. Using these tools, we show that neuropeptides, not glutamate, encode the unconditioned stimulus in the parabrachial-to-amygdalar threat pathway during Pavlovian threat learning. We also show that neuropeptides play important roles in encoding positive valence and suppressing conditioned threat response in the amygdala-to-parabrachial endogenous opioidergic circuit. These results show that our sensor and silencer for presynaptic peptidergic transmission are reliable tools to investigate neuropeptidergic systems in awake, behaving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Il Kim
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sekun Park
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Seahyung Park
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Mao Ye
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jane Y Chen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sukjae J Kang
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jinho Jhang
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Avery C Hunker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Larry S Zweifel
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kathleen M Caron
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Joan M Vaughan
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Alan Saghatelian
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Richard D Palmiter
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sung Han
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
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2
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Nagase M, Nagashima T, Hamada S, Morishima M, Tohyama S, Arima-Yoshida F, Hiyoshi K, Hirano T, Ohtsuka T, Watabe AM. All-optical presynaptic plasticity induction by photoactivated adenylyl cyclase targeted to axon terminals. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2024; 4:100740. [PMID: 38521059 PMCID: PMC11045876 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2024.100740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Intracellular signaling plays essential roles in various cell types. In the central nervous system, signaling cascades are strictly regulated in a spatiotemporally specific manner to govern brain function; for example, presynaptic cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) can enhance the probability of neurotransmitter release. In the last decade, channelrhodopsin-2 has been engineered for subcellular targeting using localization tags, but optogenetic tools for intracellular signaling are not well developed. Therefore, we engineered a selective presynaptic fusion tag for photoactivated adenylyl cyclase (bPAC-Syn1a) and found its high localization at presynaptic terminals. Furthermore, an all-optical electrophysiological method revealed rapid and robust short-term potentiation by bPAC-Syn1a at brain stem-amygdala synapses in acute brain slices. Additionally, bPAC-Syn1a modulated mouse immobility behavior. These results indicate that bPAC-Syn1a can manipulate presynaptic cAMP signaling in vitro and in vivo. The all-optical manipulation technique developed in this study can help further elucidate the dynamic regulation of various cellular functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Nagase
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan
| | - Takashi Nagashima
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan
| | - Shun Hamada
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Mieko Morishima
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan
| | - Suguru Tohyama
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan
| | - Fumiko Arima-Yoshida
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan
| | - Kanae Hiyoshi
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan
| | - Tomoha Hirano
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Toshihisa Ohtsuka
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan.
| | - Ayako M Watabe
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
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3
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Torruella-Suárez ML, Neugebauer B, Flores-Felix K, Keller A, Carrasquillo Y, Cramer N. Divergent changes in PBN excitability in a mouse model of neuropathic pain. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0416-23.2024. [PMID: 38331576 PMCID: PMC10921257 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0416-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The transition from acute to chronic pain involves maladaptive plasticity in central nociceptive pathways. Growing evidence suggests that changes within the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), an important component of the spino-parabrachio-amygdaloid pain pathway, are key contributors to the development and maintenance of chronic pain. In animal models of chronic pain, PBN neurons become sensitive to normally innocuous stimuli and responses to noxious stimuli become amplified and more often produce after-discharges that outlast the stimulus. Using ex vivo slice electrophysiology and two mouse models of neuropathic pain, sciatic cuff and chronic constriction of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-ION), we find that changes in the firing properties of PBN neurons and a shift in inhibitory synaptic transmission may underlie this phenomenon. Compared to PBN neurons from shams, a larger proportion of PBN neurons from mice with a sciatic cuff were spontaneously active at rest, and these same neurons showed increased excitability relative to shams. In contrast, quiescent PBN neurons from cuff mice were less excitable than those from shams. Despite an increase in excitability in a subset of PBN neurons, the presence of after-discharges frequently observed in vivo were largely absent ex vivo in both injury models. However, GABAB-mediated presynaptic inhibition of GABAergic terminals is enhanced in PBN neurons after CCI-ION. These data suggest that the amplified activity of PBN neurons observed in rodent models of chronic pain arise through a combination of changes in firing properties and network excitability.Significance Statement Hyperactivity of neurons in the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) is causally linked to exaggerated pain behaviors in rodent models of chronic pain but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Using two mouse models of neuropathic pain, we show the intrinsic properties of PBN neurons are largely unaltered following injury. However, subsets of PBN neurons become more excitable and GABAB receptor mediated suppression of inhibitory terminals is enhanced after injury. Thus, shifts in network excitability may be a contributing factor in injury induced potentiation of PBN activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- María L Torruella-Suárez
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Benjamin Neugebauer
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Krystal Flores-Felix
- Department of Neurobiology and UM-MIND, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Asaf Keller
- Department of Neurobiology and UM-MIND, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Yarimar Carrasquillo
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Nathan Cramer
- Department of Neurobiology and UM-MIND, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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4
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Nagashima T, Mikami K, Tohyama S, Konno A, Hirai H, Watabe AM. State-dependent modulation of positive and negative affective valences by a parabrachial nucleus-to-ventral tegmental area pathway in mice. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1273322. [PMID: 38094239 PMCID: PMC10716301 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1273322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Appropriately responding to various sensory signals in the environment is essential for animal survival. Accordingly, animal behaviors are closely related to external and internal states, which include the positive and negative emotional values of sensory signals triggered by environmental factors. While the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPB) plays a key role in nociception and supports negative valences, it also transmits signals including positive valences. However, the downstream neuronal mechanisms of positive and negative valences have not been fully explored. In the present study, we investigated the ventral tegmental area (VTA) as a projection target for LPB neurons. Optogenetic activation of LPB-VTA terminals in male mice elicits positive reinforcement in an operant task and induces both avoidance and attraction in a place-conditioning task. Inhibition of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 65-expressing cells in the VTA promotes avoidance behavior induced by photoactivation of the LPB-VTA pathway. These findings indicate that the LPB-VTA pathway is one of the LPB outputs for the transmission of positive and negative valence signals, at least in part, with GABAergic modification in VTA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Nagashima
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kaori Mikami
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
| | - Suguru Tohyama
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ayumu Konno
- Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan
- Viral Vector Core, Gunma University Initiative for Advanced Research (GIAR), Maebashi, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Hirai
- Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan
- Viral Vector Core, Gunma University Initiative for Advanced Research (GIAR), Maebashi, Japan
| | - Ayako M. Watabe
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
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5
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Torruella-Suárez ML, Neugebauer B, Flores-Felix K, Keller A, Carrasquillo Y, Cramer N. Divergent changes in PBN excitability in a mouse model of neuropathic pain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.11.561891. [PMID: 37905065 PMCID: PMC10614750 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.11.561891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
The transition from acute to chronic pain involves maladaptive plasticity in central nociceptive pathways. Growing evidence suggests that changes within the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), an important component of the spino-parabrachio-amygdaloid pain pathway, are key contributors to the development and maintenance of chronic pain. In animal models of chronic pain, PBN neurons become sensitive to normally innocuous stimuli and responses to noxious stimuli become amplified and more often produce after-discharges that outlast the stimulus. Using ex vivo slice electrophysiology and two mouse models of neuropathic pain, sciatic cuff and chronic constriction of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-ION), we find that changes in the firing properties of PBN neurons and a shift in inhibitory synaptic transmission may underlie this phenomenon. Compared to PBN neurons from shams, a larger proportion of PBN neurons from mice with a sciatic cuff were spontaneously active at rest, and these same neurons showed increased excitability relative to shams. In contrast, quiescent PBN neurons from cuff mice were less excitable than those from shams. Despite an increase in excitability in a subset of PBN neurons, the presence of after-discharges frequently observed in vivo were largely absent ex vivo in both injury models. However, GABAB-mediated presynaptic inhibition of GABAergic terminals is enhanced in PBN neurons after CCIION. These data suggest that the amplified activity of PBN neurons observed in rodent models of chronic pain arise through a combination of changes in firing properties and network excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- María L Torruella-Suárez
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Benjamin Neugebauer
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Krystal Flores-Felix
- Department of Neurobiology and UM-MIND, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Asaf Keller
- Department of Neurobiology and UM-MIND, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Yarimar Carrasquillo
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Nathan Cramer
- Department of Neurobiology and UM-MIND, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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6
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Kim DI, Park S, Ye M, Chen JY, Jhang J, Hunker AC, Zweifel LS, Palmiter RD, Han S. Novel genetically encoded tools for imaging or silencing neuropeptide release from presynaptic terminals in vivo. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.19.524797. [PMID: 36712060 PMCID: PMC9882317 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.19.524797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Neurons produce and release neuropeptides to communicate with one another. Despite their profound impact on critical brain functions, circuit-based mechanisms of peptidergic transmission are poorly understood, primarily due to the lack of tools for monitoring and manipulating neuropeptide release in vivo. Here, we report the development of two genetically encoded tools for investigating peptidergic transmission in behaving mice: a genetically encoded large dense core vesicle (LDCV) sensor that detects the neuropeptides release presynaptically, and a genetically encoded silencer that specifically degrades neuropeptides inside the LDCV. Monitoring and silencing peptidergic and glutamatergic transmissions from presynaptic terminals using our newly developed tools and existing genetic tools, respectively, reveal that neuropeptides, not glutamate, are the primary transmitter in encoding unconditioned stimulus during Pavlovian threat learning. These results show that our sensor and silencer for peptidergic transmission are reliable tools to investigate neuropeptidergic systems in awake behaving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Il Kim
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sekun Park
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Mao Ye
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jane Y. Chen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Jinho Jhang
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Avery C. Hunker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Larry S. Zweifel
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Richard D. Palmiter
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sung Han
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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7
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Massi L, Hagihara KM, Courtin J, Hinz J, Müller C, Fustiñana MS, Xu C, Karalis N, Lüthi A. Disynaptic specificity of serial information flow for conditioned fear. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabq1637. [PMID: 36652513 PMCID: PMC10957099 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq1637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Memory encoding and retrieval rely on specific interactions across multiple brain areas. Although connections between individual brain areas have been extensively studied, the anatomical and functional specificity of neuronal circuit organization underlying information transfer across multiple brain areas remains unclear. Here, we combine transsynaptic viral tracing, optogenetic manipulations, and calcium dynamics recordings to dissect the multisynaptic functional connectivity of the amygdala. We identify a distinct basolateral amygdala (BLA) subpopulation that connects disynaptically to the periaqueductal gray (PAG) via the central amygdala (CeA). This disynaptic pathway serves as a core circuit element necessary for the learning and expression of conditioned fear and exhibits learning-related plasticity. Together, our findings demonstrate the utility of multisynaptic approaches for functional circuit analysis and indicate that disynaptic specificity may be a general feature of neuronal circuit organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léma Massi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel CH-4058, Switzerland
| | - Kenta M. Hagihara
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel CH-4058, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Julien Courtin
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel CH-4058, Switzerland
| | - Julian Hinz
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel CH-4058, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christian Müller
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel CH-4058, Switzerland
| | - Maria Sol Fustiñana
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel CH-4058, Switzerland
| | - Chun Xu
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel CH-4058, Switzerland
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Nikolaos Karalis
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel CH-4058, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel CH-4058, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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8
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Parabrachial-to-parasubthalamic nucleus pathway mediates fear-induced suppression of feeding in male mice. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7913. [PMID: 36585411 PMCID: PMC9803671 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35634-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Feeding behavior is adaptively regulated by external and internal environment, such that feeding is suppressed when animals experience pain, sickness, or fear. While the lateral parabrachial nucleus (lPB) plays key roles in nociception and stress, neuronal pathways involved in feeding suppression induced by fear are not fully explored. Here, we investigate the parasubthalamic nucleus (PSTN), located in the lateral hypothalamus and critically involved in feeding behaviors, as a target of lPB projection neurons. Optogenetic activation of lPB-PSTN terminals in male mice promote avoidance behaviors, aversive learning, and suppressed feeding. Inactivation of the PSTN and lPB-PSTN pathway reduces fear-induced feeding suppression. Activation of PSTN neurons expressing pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a neuropeptide enriched in the PSTN, is sufficient for inducing avoidance behaviors and feeding suppression. Blockade of PACAP receptors impaires aversive learning induced by lPB-PSTN photomanipulation. These findings indicate that lPB-PSTN pathway plays a pivotal role in fear-induced feeding suppression.
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9
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Li JN, Chen K, Sheets PL. Topographic organization underlies intrinsic and morphological heterogeneity of central amygdala neurons expressing corticotropin-releasing hormone. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:2286-2303. [PMID: 35579999 PMCID: PMC9283236 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) network consists of a heterogeneous population of inhibitory GABAergic neurons distributed across distinct subregions. While the specific roles for molecularly defined CeA neurons have been extensively studied, our understanding of functional heterogeneity within classes of molecularly distinct CeA neurons remains incomplete. In addition, manipulation of genetically defined CeA neurons has produced inconsistent behavioral results potentially due to broad targeting across CeA subregions. Therefore, elucidating heterogeneity within molecularly defined neurons in subdivisions of the CeA is pivotal for gaining a complete understanding of how CeA circuits function. Here, we used a multifaceted approach involving transgenic reporter mice, brain slice electrophysiology, and neuronal morphology to dissect the heterogeneity of corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in topographically distinct subregions of the CeA. Our results revealed that intrinsic and morphological properties of CRH‐expressing (CRH+) neurons in the lateral (CeL) and medial (CeM) subdivisions of the CeA were significantly different. We found that CeL‐CRH+ neurons are relatively homogeneous in morphology and firing profile. Conversely, CeM‐CRH+ neurons displayed heterogeneous electrophysiological and morphological phenotypes. Overall, these results show phenotypic differences between CRH+ neurons in CeL and CeM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Nan Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.,Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Kevin Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.,Zionsville Community High School, Zionsville, Indiana, USA
| | - Patrick L Sheets
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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10
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Jaramillo AA, Brown JA, Winder DG. Danger and distress: Parabrachial-extended amygdala circuits. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108757. [PMID: 34461068 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of the role of the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) has evolved as technology has advanced, in part due to cell-specific studies and complex behavioral assays. This is reflected in the heterogeneous neuronal populations within the PBN to the extended amygdala (EA) circuits which encompass the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and central amygdala (CeA) circuitry, as they differentially modulate aspects of behavior in response to diverse threat-like contexts necessary for survival. Here we review how the PBN→CeA and PBN→BNST pathways differentially modulate fear-like behavior, innate and conditioned, through unique changes in neurotransmission in response to stress-inducing contexts. Furthermore, we hypothesize how in specific instances the PBN→CeA and PBN→BNST circuits are redundant and in part intertwined with their respective reciprocal projections. By deconstructing the interoceptive and exteroceptive components of affect- and stress related behavioral paradigms, evidence suggests that the PBN→CeA circuit modulates innate response to physical stimuli and fear conditioning. Conversely, the PBN→BNST circuit modulates distress-like stress in unpredictable contexts. Thereby, the PBN provides a pathway for alarming interoceptive and exteroceptive stimuli to be processed and relayed to the EA to induce stress-relevant affect. Additionally, we provide a framework for future studies to detail the cell-type specific intricacies of PBN→EA circuits in mediating behavioral responses to threats, and the relevance of the PBN in drug-use as it relates to threat and negative reinforcement. This article is part of the special Issue on 'Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse'.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A Jaramillo
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Dept. Mol. Phys. & Biophysics, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, USA
| | - J A Brown
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Dept. Mol. Phys. & Biophysics, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, USA; Department of Pharmacology, USA
| | - D G Winder
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Dept. Mol. Phys. & Biophysics, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, USA; Department of Pharmacology, USA; Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, USA.
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11
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Ito M, Nagase M, Tohyama S, Mikami K, Kato F, Watabe AM. The parabrachial-to-amygdala pathway provides aversive information to induce avoidance behavior in mice. Mol Brain 2021; 14:94. [PMID: 34167570 PMCID: PMC8223383 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-021-00807-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuronal circuitry for pain signals has been intensively studied for decades. The external lateral parabrachial nucleus (PB) was shown to play a crucial role in nociceptive information processing. Previous work, including ours, has demonstrated that stimulating the neuronal pathway from the PB to the central region of the amygdala (CeA) can substitute for an actual pain signal to drive an associative form of threat/fear memory formation. However, it is still unknown whether activation of the PB-CeA pathway can directly drive avoidance behavior, escape behavior, or only acts as strategic freezing behavior for later memory retrieval. To directly address this issue, we have developed a real-time Y-maze conditioning behavioral paradigm to examine avoidance behavior induced by optogenetic stimulation of the PB-CeA pathway. In this current study, we have demonstrated that the PB-CeA pathway carries aversive information that can directly trigger avoidance behavior and thereby serve as an alarm signal to induce adaptive behaviors for later decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko Ito
- Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 163-1 Kashiwa-shita, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8567, Japan
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masashi Nagase
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 163-1 Kashiwa-shita, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8567, Japan
| | - Suguru Tohyama
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 163-1 Kashiwa-shita, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8567, Japan
| | - Kaori Mikami
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 163-1 Kashiwa-shita, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8567, Japan
| | - Fusao Kato
- Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ayako M Watabe
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Research, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 163-1 Kashiwa-shita, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8567, Japan.
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Lindquist DH. Emotion in motion: A three-stage model of aversive classical conditioning. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 115:363-377. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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