A central amygdala-globus pallidus circuit conveys unconditioned stimulus information and controls fear learning

Giovanniello, Jacqueline, Yu, Kai, Furlan, Alessandro, Nachtrab, Gregory Thomas, Sharma, Radhashree, Chen, Xiaoke, Li, Bo (April 2020) A central amygdala-globus pallidus circuit conveys unconditioned stimulus information and controls fear learning. bioRxiv. (Unpublished)

PDF 2020.Giovannielo.unconditioned_stimulus.pdf Download (1MB)

Abstract

The central amygdala (CeA) is critically involved in a range of adaptive behaviors. In particular, the somatostatin-expressing (Sst + ) neurons in the CeA are essential for classic fear conditioning. These neurons send long-range projections to several extra-amygdala targets, but the functions of these projections remain elusive. Here, we found in mice that a subset of Sst + CeA neurons send projections to the globus pallidus external segment (GPe), and constitute essentially the entire GPe-projecting CeA population. Notably, chronic inhibition of GPe-projecting CeA neurons completely blocks auditory fear conditioning. These neurons are selectively excited by the unconditioned stimulus (US) during fear conditioning, and transient inactivation or activation of these neurons during US presentation impairs or promotes, respectively, fear learning. Our results suggest that a major function of Sst + CeA neurons is to represent and convey US information through the CeA-GPe circuit, thereby instructing learning in fear conditioning.

Item Type:	Paper
Subjects:	organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > amygdala organism description > animal behavior > fear organism description > animal behavior > learning
CSHL Authors:	Yu, Kai Furlan, Alessandro Giovanniello, Jacqueline Li, Bo
Communities:	CSHL labs > Li lab School of Biological Sciences > Publications
SWORD Depositor:	CSHL Elements
Depositing User:	CSHL Elements
Date:	30 April 2020
Date Deposited:	24 May 2021 14:14
Last Modified:	29 Feb 2024 19:56
URI:	https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/40134

Actions (login required)

Administrator's edit/view item