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    Home > Active Ingredient News > Study of Nervous System > Xu Xiaohong's team at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed neural circuits that regulate anxiety-like avoidance behavior

    Xu Xiaohong's team at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed neural circuits that regulate anxiety-like avoidance behavior

    • Last Update: 2023-01-01
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    Studies have shown that rodents have elevated anxiety levels after encountering predators and exhibit significant conflict avoidance behavior
    .
    The rodent hypothalamic predator defense network is mainly composed of
    the anterior hypothalamic nucleus (AHN), the ventral medial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) and the dorsal anterior nucleus of the hypothalamus (PMd).

    Predator-avoidance increased in animals with high anxiety levels, and anti-anxiety drugs were able to significantly reduce predator-avoidance behavior
    .
    Do anxious behaviors and predator defensive behaviors share neural circuits?
    On December 3, 2022, the research group of Xu Xiaohong, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligent Technology (Institute of Neuroscience), Chinese Academy of Sciences, published an article revealing that the hippocampus-hypothalamic neural circuit regulates anxiety-like avoidance behavior
    .


    Figure 1: Unfamiliar objects increase anxiety levels in mice

    Mice spend most of their time freely in the surrounding area and a small part of the time in the central area, but after placing unfamiliar objects (batteries) in the central area, the time for mice to enter the surrounding area is significantly increased, and the time to enter the central area becomes less
    .
    Interestingly, even swapping batteries for toy airplanes or metal paper clips can clearly cause avoidance behavior
    in mice.
    This suggests that unfamiliar objects cause anxiety levels
    in mice.

    Fiber optic calcium imaging showed that suppressor neuronal activity in AHN regions increased
    significantly after placing unfamiliar objects.
    Contact with familiar objects does not cause activation of such neurons
    .
    Photosuppression of inhibitory neurons in AHN region can significantly reduce the avoidance behavior caused by unfamiliar objects, while inhibition of excitatory neurons in AHN region promotes the avoidance behavior
    of mice on unfamiliar objects.


    Figure 2: AHN inhibitory neurons encode both anxiety and predator defense behavior


    The researchers further found through c-FOS labeling technology that suppressor neurons in the AHN region can be activated in both strange objects and predator odors, and there is a large overlap
    .
    Single-cell-level calcium imaging also revealed the presence of neurons responding to both stimuli, and these results suggest that inhibitory neurons in the AHN region can encode both anxiety and predator defense behavior messages
    .

    Elevated experiments assessed anxiety levels in rodents, and mice with high anxiety levels stayed in open arms for less
    time.
    They found that inhibitory neuronal activity in the AHN region was stronger
    when entering the open arm region compared to entering the closed arm.
    Repeated exposure to elevated experiments increased anxiety levels in mice (decreased access to the open arm region), while inhibitory neuronal activity in the AHN region was further enhanced
    .
    Inhibition of this type of neuron in light promotes mouse access to the open arm region
    .


    Figure 3: Ventral hippocampal hypotrophidomal projection into suppressor neurons in the AHN region


    Retrograde tracing experiments found that inhibitory neurons in the AHN region received input from multiple brain regions such as lateral septal nucleus, medial preoptic area (MPO) and striated bed nucleus (BNST), among which the most input was received from ventral hippocampal hypotrophial (vSub).

    Fiber optic calcium imaging technology found that mice had enhanced neuronal activity when approaching or leaving the vSub-AHN circuit of unfamiliar objects, and inhibition of this neural circuit promoted mice to enter the central region and weakened the avoidance behavior
    of unfamiliar objects.

    This article reveals that inhibitory neurons in the AHN region can respond to predator odor and anxiety behavior stimuli at the same time, and inhibition of this neuron can reduce anxiety-like avoidance behavior
    .


    【References】

    1.
    https://doi.
    org/10.
    1038/s41467-022-35211-7

    The images in the article are from references

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