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Kenwood MM, Oler JA, Tromp DPM, Fox AS, Riedel MK, Roseboom PH, Brunner KG, Aggarwal N, Murray EA, Kalin NH. Prefrontal influences on the function of the neural circuitry underlying anxious temperament in primates. OXFORD OPEN NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 2:kvac016. [PMID: 37583705 PMCID: PMC10426770 DOI: 10.1093/oons/kvac016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
Anxious temperament, characterized by heightened behavioral and physiological reactivity to potential threat, is an early childhood risk factor for the later development of stress-related psychopathology. Using a well-validated nonhuman primate model, we tested the hypothesis that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is critical in regulating the expression of primate anxiety-like behavior, as well as the function of subcortical components of the anxiety-related neural circuit. We performed aspiration lesions of a narrow 'strip' of the posterior orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) intended to disrupt both cortex and axons entering, exiting and coursing through the pOFC, particularly those of the uncinate fasciculus (UF), a white matter tract that courses adjacent to and through this region. The OFC is of particular interest as a potential regulatory region because of its extensive reciprocal connections with amygdala, other subcortical structures and other frontal lobe regions. We validated this lesion method by demonstrating marked lesion-induced decreases in the microstructural integrity of the UF, which contains most of the fibers that connect the ventral PFC with temporal lobe structures as well as with other frontal regions. While the lesions resulted in modest decreases in threat-related behavior, they substantially decreased metabolism in components of the circuit underlying threat processing. These findings provide evidence for the importance of structural connectivity between the PFC and key subcortical structures in regulating the functions of brain regions known to be involved in the adaptive and maladaptive expression of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Kevin G Brunner
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
| | | | - Elisabeth A Murray
- Section on the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, NIMH, Bethesda, MD
| | - Ned H Kalin
- Psychiatry, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
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Stawicka ZM, Massoudi R, Oikonomidis L, McIver L, Mulvihill K, Quah SKL, Cockcroft GJ, Clarke HF, Horst NK, Wood CM, Roberts AC. Differential Effects of the Inactivation of Anterior and Posterior Orbitofrontal Cortex on Affective Responses to Proximal and Distal Threat, and Reward Anticipation in the Common Marmoset. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1319-1336. [PMID: 34494095 PMCID: PMC8971078 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab240] [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: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Structural and functional abnormalities of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) have been implicated in affective disorders that manifest anxiety-related symptoms. However, research into the functions of primate OFC has predominantly focused on reward-oriented rather than threat-oriented responses. To redress this imbalance, the present study performed a comprehensive analysis of the independent role of 2 distinct subregions of the central OFC (anterior area 11; aOFC and posterior area 13; pOFC) in the processing of distal and proximal threat. Temporary inactivation of both aOFC and pOFC heightened responses to distal threat in the form of an unknown human, but not to proximal threat assessed in a discriminative Pavlovian conditioning task. Inactivation of the aOFC, however, did unexpectedly blunt conditioned threat responses, although the effect was not valence-specific, as conditioned appetitive responses were similarly blunted and appeared restricted to a discriminative version of the task (when both CS− and CS+ are present within a session). Inactivation of the pOFC did not affect conditioned responses to either proximal threat or reward and basal cardiovascular activity was unaffected by manipulations of activity in either subregion. The results highlight the contribution of aOFC and pOFC to regulation of responses to more distal uncertain but not proximal, certain threat and reveal their opposing contribution to that of the immediately adjacent medial OFC, area 14.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzanna M Stawicka
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Roohollah Massoudi
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Lydia Oikonomidis
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Lauren McIver
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Kevin Mulvihill
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Shaun K L Quah
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | | | - Hannah F Clarke
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Nicole K Horst
- Now at Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3PT, UK.,Now at Postdoc Academy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 1AS, UK
| | - Christian M Wood
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Angela C Roberts
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
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