A5063167913- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research
- Cognitive Science and Mapping
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
- Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
Texas A&M University
2016-2021
University of California, San Diego
2016-2018
Abstract The ventral pallidum (VP) lies at the interface between sensory, motor, and cognitive processing—with a particular role in mounting behavioral responses to rewards. Though VP is predominantly GABAergic, glutamate neurons were recently identified, though their relative abundances respective roles are unknown. Here, we show that concentrated rostral ventromedial project qualitatively similar targets as do GABA neurons. At functional level, used optogenetics activity can drive positive...
Abstract In addition to dopamine neurons, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) contains GABA-, glutamate- and co-releasing recent reports suggest a complex role for glutamate neurons in behavioural reinforcement. We report that optogenetic stimulation of VTA or terminals serves as positive reinforcer on operant assays. Mice display marked preference brief over sustained neuron resulting responses are notably distinct from resistant receptor antagonists. Whole-cell recordings reveal EPSCs...
Highlights•Dopamine, GABA, and glutamate VTA neurons receive qualitatively similar inputs•Hypothalamus raphe provide the largest inputs to each cell type•Dopamine proportionally more input from basal ganglia•Glutamate cortical inputsSummaryThe ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays a central role in neural circuit control of behavioral reinforcement. Though considered dopaminergic nucleus, contains substantial heterogeneity neurotransmitter type, containing also GABA neurons. Here, we used...
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has been implicated in conditioned fear and anxiety, but specific factors that engage BNST defensive behaviors are unclear. Here we examined whether mediates freezing to stimuli (CSs) poorly predict onset aversive unconditioned (USs) rats. Reversible inactivation selectively reduced CSs signaled US (e.g., a backward CS followed US), did not eliminate forward even when they predicted USs variable intensity. Additionally, (but forward) increased...
The nucleus reuniens (RE) is a ventral midline thalamic that interconnects the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus (HPC). Considerable data indicate HPC–mPFC circuits are involved in contextual spatial memory; however, it not clear whether RE mediates acquisition or retrieval of these memories. To examine this question, we inactivated with muscimol before either pavlovian fear conditioning rats; freezing served as index fear. We found inactivation impaired freezing, whereas...
Abstract Environmental contexts can inform animals of potential threats, though it is currently unknown how context biases the selection defensive behavior. Here we investigated context-dependent flight responses with a Pavlovian serial-compound stimulus (SCS) paradigm that evokes freeze-to-flight transitions. Similar to previous work in mice, show male and female rats display flight-like behavior SCS paradigm. Flight was dependent on contextual fear insofar as only evoked shock-associated...
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays an essential role in regulating emotion, including inhibiting fear when danger has passed. extinction of fear, however, is labile and a number factors, stress, cause extinguished to relapse. Here we show that relapse rats limits single-unit activity among infralimbic (IL) neurons, which are critical for responses, facilitates prelimbic (PL) neurons involved expression. Pharmacogenetic activation noradrenergic the locus coeruleus mimics this shift...
ABSTRACT The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has been implicated in conditioned fear and anxiety, but specific factors that engage BNST defensive behaviors are unclear. Here we examined whether mediates freezing to stimuli (CSs) poorly predict onset aversive unconditioned (USs) rats. Reversible inactivation selectively reduced CSs signaled US (e.g., a backward CS followed US), did not eliminate forward even when they predicted USs variable intensity. Additionally, (but forward)...
Abstract The nucleus reuniens (RE) is a ventral midline thalamic that interconnects the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus (HPC). Considerable data indicate HPC-mPFC circuits are involved in contextual spatial memory; however, it not clear whether RE mediates acquisition or retrieval of these memories. To examine this question, we inactivated with muscimol before either Pavlovian fear conditioning rats; freezing served as index fear. We found inactivation impaired freezing,...
ABSTRACT Environmental contexts and associative learning can inform animals of potential threats, though it is currently unknown how bias defensive transitions. Here we investigated context-dependent flight responses in the Pavlovian serial-compound stimulus (SCS) paradigm. We show here that SCS-evoked behavior male female rats dependent on contextual fear. Flight was reduced conditioning context after extinction could be evoked a different shock-associated context. Although exclusive to...