Work

Dopaminergic neurons linking threat processing to cardiac modulation and locomotor responses

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: Heartbeat and behavior are tightly coordinated during defensive states, yet the neuronal mechanisms linking threat processing to cardiac modulation—and the potential contribution of cardiac dynamics to behavioral output—remain poorly understood. Here we show in Drosophila that mechanical threat triggers locomotion together with cardiac deceleration. We identify two pairs of dopaminergic neurons, termed DA-WED neurons, that mediate this cardiac response: silencing these neurons markedly attenuates threat-induced cardiac deceleration, whereas optogenetic activation induces cardiac deceleration in the absence of threat. Calcium imaging further shows that DA-WED neurons are activated by mechanical threat. Linking cardiac dynamics to behavior, direct optogenetic manipulation of cardiomyocytes that quantitatively reproduces threat-evoked cardiac deceleration is accompanied by increased locomotion. Together, these results identify a dopaminergic descending pathway that links threat processing to cardiac modulation and suggest that cardiac dynamics may contribute to shaping defensive behavior.

Source: eLife

DOI: 10.7554/elife.111256

Authors: Masato Tsuji, Daisuke Jinkoma, Yuki Uemura, Ayako Ogasawara, Kazuo Emoto

Institutions: The University of Tokyo, International Research Center for Neurointelligence, The University of Tokyo

Language: English

Topic: Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,500