小柯机器人

美国国立卫生研究院Penzo. Mario A.研究小组近日取得一项新成果。经过不懈努力，他们发现丘脑室旁核的不同投射介导了被动和主动防御行为的选择。这一研究成果发表在2021年8月19日出版的国际学术期刊《自然-神经科学》上。

研究人员利用小鼠模型展示了室旁丘脑(PVT)通过其与杏仁核(CeA)和伏隔核(NAc)的相互作用介导了防御行为的选择。研究表明 PVT-CeA 通路驱动条件性冻结反应，而PVT-NAc 通路则在冻结反应中受到抑制，其在主动回避行为中被激活。光遗传学操作表明，PVT-CeA或PVT-NAc通路的激活分别使行为偏向于选择被动或主动防御反应。这些发现提供了PVT调控防御行为灵活转换的证据。

研究人员表示，在受到威胁时，选择被动还是主动防御行为对生存至关重要。先前的研究表明，被动防御反应取决于CeA中央核的活动，而主动防御反应主要依赖于NAc。然而，这两种反应之间灵活切换的机制仍然未知。

附：英文原文

Title: Divergent projections of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus mediate the selection of passive and active defensive behaviors

Author: Ma, Jun, du Hoffmann, Johann, Kindel, Morgan, Beas, B. Sofia, Chudasama, Yogita, Penzo, Mario A.

Issue&Volume: 2021-08-19

Abstract: The appropriate selection of passive and active defensive behaviors in threatening situations is essential for survival. Previous studies have shown that passive defensive responses depend on activity of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), whereas active ones primarily rely on the nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, the mechanisms underlying flexible switching between these two types of responses remain unknown. Here we show in mice that the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) mediates the selection of defensive behaviors through its interaction with the CeA and the NAc. We show that the PVT–CeA pathway drives conditioned freezing responses, whereas the PVT–NAc pathway is inhibited during freezing and, instead, signals active avoidance events. Optogenetic manipulations revealed that activity in the PVT–CeA or PVT–NAc pathway biases behavior toward the selection of passive or active defensive responses, respectively. These findings provide evidence that the PVT mediates flexible switching between opposing defensive behaviors.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00912-7

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-021-00912-7

Nature Neuroscience：《自然—神经科学》，创刊于1998年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：28.771
官方网址：https://www.nature.com/neuro/
投稿链接：https://mts-nn.nature.com/cgi-bin/main.plex