Ventromedial hypothalamic neurons control a defensive emotion state

Author:

Kunwar Prabhat S1,Zelikowsky Moriel1,Remedios Ryan1,Cai Haijiang1,Yilmaz Melis1,Meister Markus1,Anderson David J12

Affiliation:

1. Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States

2. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States

Abstract

Defensive behaviors reflect underlying emotion states, such as fear. The hypothalamus plays a role in such behaviors, but prevailing textbook views depict it as an effector of upstream emotion centers, such as the amygdala, rather than as an emotion center itself. We used optogenetic manipulations to probe the function of a specific hypothalamic cell type that mediates innate defensive responses. These neurons are sufficient to drive multiple defensive actions, and required for defensive behaviors in diverse contexts. The behavioral consequences of activating these neurons, moreover, exhibit properties characteristic of emotion states in general, including scalability, (negative) valence, generalization and persistence. Importantly, these neurons can also condition learned defensive behavior, further refuting long-standing claims that the hypothalamus is unable to support emotional learning and therefore is not an emotion center. These data indicate that the hypothalamus plays an integral role to instantiate emotion states, and is not simply a passive effector of upstream emotion centers.

Funder

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research

California Institute of Technology

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Simon Foundation

Publisher

eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd

Subject

General Immunology and Microbiology,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Medicine,General Neuroscience

Reference124 articles.

1. Long-lasting, selective, anxiogenic effects of feline predator stress in mice;Adamec;Physiology & Behavior,2004

2. Emotion;Adolphs;Current Biology,2010

3. The biology of fear;Adolphs;Current Biology,2013

4. Making an escape: development and function of the Drosophila giant fibre system;Allen;Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology,2006

5. Endorphins and pain relief. Further observations on electrical stimulation of the lateral part of the periaqueductal gray matter during rostral mesencephalic reticulotomy for pain relief;Amano;Applied Neurophysiology,1982

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3