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SUMMARY:WEBINAR - BMI Progress Reports 2020 // Prof. Schneggenburger's Lab
 : Michael Kintscher - Tail striatum contributes to the control of learned 
 fear expression
DTSTART:20200617T131500
DTEND:20200617T140000
DTSTAMP:20260414T134430Z
UID:160c0552a187258a482e11205ea6c4b566110b4c037e6e67e81a72ec
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Michael Kintscher\nDuring fear learning\, an initially innocuo
 us sensory cue acquires a negative emotional value\, and can thereby induc
 e a defensive behavior\, like immobility or freezing. An amygdala - midbra
 in pathway is known to play a role in the execution of learned fear behavi
 ors\, but it is likely that other motor-related areas are involved in the 
 execution of such a strong behavior. Here\, we study the role of the ventr
 al tail striatum\, a brain area adjacent to the amygdala\, in auditory-cue
 d fear learning in mice. Using rabies-virus mediated tracing\, we find tha
 t the secondary sensory cortex and the underlying posterior insular cortex
  are the most prevalent input regions of the ventral tail striatum. Optoge
 netic circuit mapping shows that the posterior insular cortex provides str
 ong excitatory drive of both D1-receptor-positive and of Adora-positive me
 dial spiny neurons (MSNs). Preliminary results suggest that following fear
  learning\, excitatory synapses from pInsCx onto D1-MSNs undergo LTP\, whe
 reas those onto Adora-MSNs undergo LTD. Using fiber photometry of Ca2+ tra
 nsients\, we find that D1- and Adora- MSNs are strongly activated by an av
 ersive stimulus (foot shock). Silencing the foot shock-driven activity in 
 each neuron population\, we found that foot shock-driven activity of D1-MS
 Ns causes an enhanced learned freezing response to tones one day later\, w
 hereas Adora-MSNs cause a learned suppression of freezing at times when no
  tones are given during the retrieval day. Thus\, opposite forms of learni
 ng in the two populations of MSNs enhances the freezing response driven by
  the sensory cue. Our study defines a role for a striatal structure in the
  control of learned fear behavior\, a finding that should be relevant for 
 the treatment of psychiatric pathologies like anxiety disorders.\n 
LOCATION:
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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