» Articles » PMID: 27307236

Central Amygdala Somatostatin Neurons Gate Passive and Active Defensive Behaviors

Overview
Journal J Neurosci
Specialty Neurology
Date 2016 Jun 17
PMID 27307236
Citations 90
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Unlabelled: The central amygdala (CeA) has a key role in learning and expression of defensive responses. Recent studies indicate that somatostatin-expressing (SOM(+)) neurons in the lateral division of the CeA (CeL) are essential for the acquisition and recall of conditioned freezing behavior, which has been used as an index of defensive response in laboratory animals during Pavlovian fear conditioning. However, how exactly these neurons participate in fear conditioning and whether they contribute to the generation of defensive responses other than freezing remain unknown. Here, using fiber-optic photometry combined with optogenetic and molecular techniques in behaving mice, we show that SOM(+) CeL neurons are activated by threat-predicting sensory cues after fear conditioning and that activation of these neurons suppresses ongoing actions and converts an active defensive behavior to a passive response. Furthermore, inhibition of these neurons using optogenetic or molecular methods promotes active defensive behaviors. Our results provide the first in vivo evidence that SOM(+) neurons represent a CeL population that acquires learning-dependent sensory responsiveness during fear conditioning and furthermore reveal an important role of these neurons in gating passive versus active defensive behaviors in animals confronted with threat.

Significance Statement: The ability to develop adaptive behavioral responses to threat is fundamental for survival. Recent studies indicate that the central lateral amygdala (CeL), in particular its somatostatin-expressing neurons, is crucial for both learning and the expression of defensive response. However, how exactly these neurons participate in such processes remains unclear. Here we show for the first time in behaving mice that the somatostatin-expressing neurons in the CeL acquire learning-dependent responsiveness to sensory cues predicting a threat. Furthermore, our results indicate that these neurons gate the behavioral output of an animal: whereas high activity in these neurons biases toward passive defensive responses, low activity in these neurons allows the expression of active defensive responses.

Citing Articles

Intersect between brain mechanisms of conditioned threat, active avoidance, and reward.

Badarnee M, Wen Z, Hammoud M, Glimcher P, Cain C, Milad M Commun Psychol. 2025; 3(1):32.

PMID: 40011644 PMC: 11864974. DOI: 10.1038/s44271-025-00197-7.


Integration of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Actions Through the Central Amygdala.

Duran M, Willis J, Dalvi N, Fokakis Z, Virkus S, Hardaway J Endocrinology. 2025; 166(3).

PMID: 39888375 PMC: 11850305. DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaf019.


ErbB4 precludes the occurrence of PTSD-like fear responses by supporting the bimodal activity of the central amygdala.

Sung K, Jeong M, Yoo T, Jung J, Kang S, Yoo J Exp Mol Med. 2024; 56(12):2703-2713.

PMID: 39623093 PMC: 11671592. DOI: 10.1038/s12276-024-01365-1.


Disengagement of somatostatin neurons from lateral septum circuitry by oxytocin and vasopressin restores social-fear extinction and suppresses aggression outbursts in Prader-Willi syndrome model.

Dromard Y, Borie A, Chakraborty P, Muscatelli F, Guillon G, Desarmenien M Biol Psychiatry. 2024; 95(8):785-799.

PMID: 38952926 PMC: 11216544. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.10.016.


Effects of chronic light cycle disruption during adolescence on circadian clock, neuronal activity rhythms, and behavior in mice.

Bonilla P, Shanks A, Nerella Y, Porcu A Front Neurosci. 2024; 18:1418694.

PMID: 38952923 PMC: 11215055. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1418694.


References
1.
Jia H, Rochefort N, Chen X, Konnerth A . In vivo two-photon imaging of sensory-evoked dendritic calcium signals in cortical neurons. Nat Protoc. 2011; 6(1):28-35. DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2010.169. View

2.
Herry C, Johansen J . Encoding of fear learning and memory in distributed neuronal circuits. Nat Neurosci. 2014; 17(12):1644-54. DOI: 10.1038/nn.3869. View

3.
Taniguchi H, He M, Wu P, Kim S, Paik R, Sugino K . A resource of Cre driver lines for genetic targeting of GABAergic neurons in cerebral cortex. Neuron. 2011; 71(6):995-1013. PMC: 3779648. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.07.026. View

4.
Driscoll J, Shih A, Iyengar S, Field J, White G, Squier J . Photon counting, censor corrections, and lifetime imaging for improved detection in two-photon microscopy. J Neurophysiol. 2011; 105(6):3106-13. PMC: 3118755. DOI: 10.1152/jn.00649.2010. View

5.
Duvarci S, Popa D, Pare D . Central amygdala activity during fear conditioning. J Neurosci. 2011; 31(1):289-94. PMC: 3080118. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4985-10.2011. View