A cross-modality enhancement of defensive flight via parvalbumin neurons in zona incerta
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: The ability to adjust defensive behavior is critical for animal survival in dynamic environments. However, neural circuits underlying the modulation of innate defensive behavior remain not well-understood. In particular, environmental threats are commonly associated with cues of multiple sensory modalities. It remains to be investigated how these modalities interact to shape defensive behavior. In this study, we report that auditory-induced defensive flight behavior can be facilitated by somatosensory input in mice. This cross-modality modulation of defensive behavior is mediated by the projection from the primary somatosensory cortex (SSp) to the ventral sector of zona incerta (ZIv). Parvalbumin (PV)-positive neurons in ZIv, receiving direct input from SSp, mediate the enhancement of the flight behavior via their projections to the medial posterior complex of thalamus (POm). Thus, defensive flight can be enhanced in a somatosensory context-dependent manner via recruiting PV neurons in ZIv, which may be important for increasing survival of prey animals.
Source: eLife
DOI: 10.7554/elife.42728
Institution: University of Southern California
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,500
Awards: Inhibitory circuitry mechanisms underlying visual cortical development and plasti, Synaptic circuitry mechanisms underlying functional development of visual cortex, Integrative approach to classifying neuronal cell types of the mouse hippocampus, Contribution of striatum to central auditory processing, Processing and transformation of visual signals in the superior colliculus
OpenAlex ID: W2935817635