scholarly journals The parabrachial-to-amygdala pathway provides aversive information to induce avoidance behavior in mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariko Ito ◽  
Masashi Nagase ◽  
Suguru Tohyama ◽  
Kaori Mikami ◽  
Fusao Kato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Alarm Signal ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Lateral Parabrachial Nucleus ◽  
Y Maze ◽  
Behavioral Paradigm ◽  
Nociceptive Information ◽  
Pain Signal

AbstractThe neuronal circuitry for pain signals has been intensively studied for decades. The external lateral parabrachial nucleus (PB) was shown to play a crucial role in nociceptive information processing. Previous work, including ours, has demonstrated that stimulating the neuronal pathway from the PB to the central region of the amygdala (CeA) can substitute for an actual pain signal to drive an associative form of threat/fear memory formation. However, it is still unknown whether activation of the PB–CeA pathway can directly drive avoidance behavior, escape behavior, or only acts as strategic freezing behavior for later memory retrieval. To directly address this issue, we have developed a real-time Y-maze conditioning behavioral paradigm to examine avoidance behavior induced by optogenetic stimulation of the PB–CeA pathway. In this current study, we have demonstrated that the PB–CeA pathway carries aversive information that can directly trigger avoidance behavior and thereby serve as an alarm signal to induce adaptive behaviors for later decision-making.

scholarly journals Preconditioning With Natural Microbiota Strain Ochrobactrum vermis MYb71 Influences Caenorhabditis elegans Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carola Petersen ◽  
Barbara Pees ◽  
Christina Martínez Christophersen ◽  
Matthias Leippe
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Choice Behavior ◽  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Future Research ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance ◽  
Natural Microbiota

In comparison with the standard monoxenic maintenance in the laboratory, rearing the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans on its natural microbiota improves its fitness and immunity against pathogens. Although C. elegans is known to exhibit choice behavior and pathogen avoidance behavior, little is known about whether C. elegans actively chooses its (beneficial) microbiota and whether the microbiota influences worm behavior. We examined eleven natural C. elegans isolates in a multiple-choice experiment for their choice behavior toward four natural microbiota bacteria and found that microbiota choice varied among C. elegans isolates. The natural C. elegans isolate MY2079 changed its choice behavior toward microbiota isolate Ochrobactrum vermis MYb71 in both multiple-choice and binary-choice experiments, in particular on proliferating bacteria: O. vermis MYb71 was chosen less than other microbiota bacteria or OP50, but only after preconditioning with MYb71. Examining escape behavior and worm fitness on MYb71, we ruled out pathogenicity of MYb71 and consequently learned pathogen avoidance behavior as the main driver of the behavioral change toward MYb71. The change in behavior of C. elegans MY2079 toward microbiota bacterium MYb71 demonstrates how the microbiota influences the worm’s choice. These results might give a baseline for future research on host–microbiota interaction in the C. elegans model.

scholarly journals Induction of flight via midbrain projections to the cuneiform nucleus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmy F Tsang ◽  
Camilla Orlandini ◽  
Rahul Sureka ◽  
Alvaro H Crevenna ◽  
Emerald Perlas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Periaqueductal Gray ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Dorsal Periaqueductal Gray ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
Cuneiform Nucleus ◽  
Midbrain Structure

The dorsal periaqueductal gray is a midbrain structure implicated in the control of defensive behaviors and the processing of painful stimuli. Electrical stimulation or optogenetic activation of excitatory neurons in dorsal periaqueductal gray results in freezing or flight behavior at low or high intensity, respectively. However, the output structures that mediate these defensive behaviors remain unconfirmed. Here we carried out a targeted classification of neuron types in dorsal periaqueductal gray using multiplex in situ sequencing and then applied cell-type and projection-specific optogenetic stimulation to identify projections from dorsal periaqueductal gray to the cuneiform nucleus that promoted goal-directed flight behavior. These data confirmed that descending outputs from dorsal periaqueductal gray serve as a trigger for directed escape behavior.

Experimental dissociation of neural circuits underlying conditioned avoidance and hypophagic responses to lithium chloride

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (4) ◽  
pp. R1495-R1503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Rinaman ◽  
Victoria Dzmura
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Lithium Chloride ◽  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Conditioned Avoidance ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Sham Control ◽  
Dopamine Beta Hydroxylase ◽  
Lateral Parabrachial Nucleus ◽  
Inhibit Food Intake ◽  
Conditioned Avoidance Behavior

We previously reported that noradrenergic (NA) neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) are necessary for exogenous CCK octapeptide to inhibit food intake in rats. To determine whether NST NA neurons also are necessary for lithium chloride (LiCl) to inhibit food intake and/or to support conditioned avoidance behavior, saporin toxin conjugated to an antibody against dopamine beta hydroxylase (DSAP) was microinjected bilaterally into the NST to ablate resident NA neurons. DSAP and sham control rats subsequently were tested for the ability of LiCl (0.15M, 2% body wt) to inhibit food intake and to support conditioned flavor avoidance (CFA). LiCl-induced hypophagia was significantly blunted in DSAP rats, and those with the most extensive loss of NST NA neurons demonstrated the most attenuated LiCl-induced hypophagia. Conversely, LiCl supported a robust CFA that was of similar magnitude in sham control and DSAP rats, including rats with the most extensive NA lesions. A terminal c-Fos study revealed intact LiCl-induced c-Fos expression in the lateral parabrachial nucleus and central amygdala in DSAP rats, despite significant loss of NST NA neurons and attenuated c-Fos activation of corticotropin-releasing hormone-positive neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Thus, NST NA neurons contribute significantly to LiCl-induced hypophagia and recruitment of stress-responsive PVN neurons but appear to be unnecessary for CFA learning and expression. These findings support the view that distinct central nervous system circuits underlie LiCl-induced inhibition of food intake and conditioned avoidance behavior in rats.

scholarly journals Effect of Sensory Deprivation of Nasal Respiratory on Behavior of C57BL/6J Mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1626
Author(s):  
Yongji Zhu ◽  
Yujing Ye ◽  
Chenyang Zhou ◽  
Siqi Sun ◽  
Jingjing Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Fear Conditioning ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Forced Swim Test ◽  
Sensory Deprivation ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Contextual Fear Conditioning ◽  
Nasal Breathing ◽  
Y Maze ◽  
General Locomotor Activity

Nasal breathing is a dynamic cortical organizer involved in various behaviors and states, such as locomotion, exploration, memory, emotion, introspection. However, the effect of sensory deprivation of nasal respiratory breath (NRD) on behavior remain poorly understood. Herein, general locomotor activity, emotion, learning and memory, social interaction, and mechanical pain were evaluated using a zinc sulfate nasal irrigation induced nasal respiratory sensory deprivation animal model (ZnSO4-induced mouse model). In the open field test, the elevated O-maze test, and forced swim test, NRD mice exhibited depressive and anxiety-like behaviors. In memory-associated tests, NRD mice showed cognitive impairments in the hippocampal-dependent memory (Y maze, object recognition task, and contextual fear conditioning (CFC)) and amygdala-dependent memory (the tone-cued fear conditioning test (TFC)). Surprisingly, NRD mice did not display deficits in the acquisition of conditional fear in both CFC and TFC tests. Still, they showed significant memory retrieval impairment in TFC and enhanced memory retrieval in CFC. At the same time, in the social novelty test using a three-chamber setting, NRD mice showed impaired social and social novelty behavior. Lastly, in the von Frey filaments test, we found that the pain sensitivity of NRD mice was reduced. In conclusion, this NRD mouse model showed a variety of behavioral phenotypic changes, which could offer an important insight into the behavioral impacts of patients with anosmia or those with an impaired olfactory bulb (OB) (e.g., in COVID-19, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, etc.).

Use of Withdrawal of Reinforcement within the Escape-Avoidance Paradigm

1966 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 959-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnold Kaufman ◽  
Alan Baron
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Escape Response ◽  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
Conditioned Response ◽  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Noxious Stimulation ◽  
Avoidance Paradigm ◽  
Shock Escape

With rats as Ss, an analog of shock escape-avoidance was developed in which withdrawal of positive reinforcement served in lieu of noxious stimulation. Efficient escape behavior developed with latencies varying as a function of the rate of reinforcement reinstated by the conditioned response, but avoidance behavior was infrequent. The results were considered from the standpoint of whether the escape response was positively reinforced through onset of the period of reinforcement or negatively reinforced through termination of the period of non-reinforcement.

Some Factors That Influence Acquisition of Free-Operant Avoidance Behavior

1966 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
George C. Stone
Keyword(s):  
Discriminative Stimulus ◽  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Avoidance Schedule ◽  
Free Operant Avoidance ◽  
Operant Avoidance ◽  
Free Operant ◽  
Series Of Experiments

In a series of experiments it was found that rats learn to respond on a free-operant avoidance schedule with no external discriminative stimulus somewhat more effectively when trained (1) with a shorter S∗S interval, (2) with an escape contingency, (3) with a 1-sec. as opposed to a 0.2-sec. shock, and (4) when levers are presented before the first two shocks rather than after them. In interpreting these results, the importance of pseudo-escape behavior is stressed in addition to mechanisms proposed by Sidman and by Anger.

scholarly journals Divergent encoding of active avoidance behavior in corticostriatal and corticolimbic projections

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget L. Kajs ◽  
Adrienne C. Loewke ◽  
Jeffrey M. Dorsch ◽  
Leah T. Vinson ◽  
Lisa A. Gunaydin
Keyword(s):  
Avoidance Learning ◽  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Active Avoidance ◽  
Basolateral Amygdala ◽  
Coping Behaviors ◽  
Passive Coping ◽  
Behavioral Paradigm ◽  
Endogenous Activity ◽  
Increased Activity ◽  
Active Avoidance Behavior

Active avoidance behavior, in which an animal performs an action to avoid a stressor, is crucial for survival and may provide insight into avoidance behaviors seen in anxiety disorders. Active avoidance requires the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), which is thought to regulate avoidance via downstream projections to the striatum and amygdala. However, the endogenous activity of projection-defined dmPFC subpopulations during active avoidance learning remains unexplored. Here we utilized fiber photometry to record from the dmPFC and its downstream projections to the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) during active avoidance learning in mice. We examined neural activity during conditioned stimulus (CS) presentations, active avoidance, and cued freezing. Both prefrontal projections showed learning-related increases in activity during CS onset throughout active avoidance training. The dmPFC as a whole showed increased activity during avoidance and decreased activity during cued freezing. Finally, dmPFC-DMS and dmPFC-BLA projections showed divergent encoding of active avoidance behavior, with the dmPFC-DMS projection showing increased activity and the dmPFC-BLA showing decreased activity during active avoidance. Our results identify differential prefrontal encoding of active and passive coping behaviors in the same behavioral paradigm and demonstrate divergent encoding of active avoidance in projection-specific dmPFC subpopulations.

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