Abstract
AbstractThe neural basis of fear of heights remains essentially unknown. We observed mice displaying stereotyped aversive behaviors when encountered height threats, resembling human height vertigo. Visual input plays a crucial role in mouse reactions to heights, which can also be influenced by vestibular input and prior height experiences. Unexpectedly, fear of heights in inexperienced mice does not rely on image-forming visual processing by the primary visual cortex. Instead, a subset of neurons in the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN) connecting to the lateral/ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (l/vlPAG) drives the expression of height-related fear. Additionally, a subcortical visual pathway linking the superior colliculus to the lateral posterior thalamic nucleus inhibits the defensive response to height threats. These findings highlight an unconscious fear response to height threats through a rapid subcortical visual and defensive pathway from vLGN to l/vlPAG.One-Sentence SummaryA non-image visual mechanism of fear of heights
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory