Reduced Information Transmission of Medial Prefrontal Cortex to Basolateral Amygdala Inhibits Exploratory Behavior in Depressed Rats

Depression is a mental and neurological disease that reduces the desire for exploration. Dysregulation of the information transmission between medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) is associated with depression. However, which direction of information transmission (mPFC-BLA or BLA-mPFC) related to the decline of exploratory interests in depression is unclear. Therefore, it is important to determine what specific changes occur in mPFC and BLA information transmission in depressed rats during exploratory behavior. In the present study, local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded via multi-electrodes implanted in the mPFC and BLA for the control and depression groups of rats when they were exploring in an open field. The theta band was determined to be the characteristic band of exploratory behavior. The direct transfer function (DTF) was used to calculate the mPFC and BLA bidirectional information flow (IF) to measure information transmission. Compared with the control group, the theta IF of mPFC-BLA in the depression group was significantly reduced, and there was no significant difference in theta IF of BLA-mPFC between the two groups. Our results indicated that the reduction of mPFC-BLA information transmission can inhibit the exploratory behavior of depressed rats.

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The development of perineuronal nets around parvalbumin gabaergic neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala of rats.

Behavioral Neuroscience ◽

10.1037/bne0000203 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 131 (4) ◽

pp. 289-303 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Kathryn D. Baker ◽

Arielle R. Gray ◽

Rick Richardson

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Basolateral Amygdala ◽

Gabaergic Neurons ◽

Perineuronal Nets

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Differential neuronal changes in medial prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala and nucleus accumbens after postweaning social isolation

Brain Structure and Function ◽

10.1007/s00429-011-0355-4 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 217 (2) ◽

pp. 337-351 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Yu-Chun Wang ◽

Ue-Cheung Ho ◽

Meng-Ching Ko ◽

Chun-Chieh Liao ◽

Li-Jen Lee

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Nucleus Accumbens ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Basolateral Amygdala

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Induction of Relaxation by Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnbeh.2021.761621 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Noriko Sakurai ◽

Ken Ohno ◽

Satoshi Kasai ◽

Kazuaki Nagasaka ◽

Hideaki Onishi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Classical Music ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Auditory Stimulation ◽

Brain Functions ◽

Relaxation Effects ◽

Wide Range ◽

Significant Difference

Background: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is used by young people to induce relaxation and sleep and to reduce stress and anxiety; it comprises somatosensation caused by audiovisual stimuli (triggers) that lead to positive emotions. Auditory stimuli play the most important role among the triggers involved in ASMR and have been reported to be more triggering than visual stimuli. On the other hand, classical music is also known to have a relaxing effect. This is the first study to clarify the difference in brain activation associated with relaxation effects between ASMR and classical music by limiting ASMR to auditory stimulation alone.Methods: Thirty healthy subjects, all over 20 years of age, underwent fMRI while listening to ASMR and classical music. We compared the differences in brain activation associated with classical music and ASMR stimulation. After the experiment, the subjects were administered a questionnaire on somatosensation and moods. After the experiment, the participants were asked whether they experienced ASMR somatosensation or frisson. They were also asked to rate the intensity of two moods during stimulation: “comfortable mood,” and “tingling mood”.Result: The results of the questionnaire showed that none of the participants experienced any ASMR somatosensation or frisson. Further, there was no significant difference in the ratings given to comfort mood, but there was a significant difference in those given to tingling mood. In terms of brain function, classical music and ASMR showed significant activation in common areas, while ASMR showed activation in more areas, with the medial prefrontal cortex being the main area of activation during ASMR.Conclusion: Both classical music and the ASMR auditory stimulus produced a pleasant and relaxed state, and ASMR involved more complex brain functions than classical music, especially the activation of the medial prefrontal cortex. Although ASMR was limited to auditory stimulation, the effects were similar to those of listening to classical music, suggesting that ASMR stimulation can produce a pleasant state of relaxation even if it is limited to the auditory component, without the somatic sensation of tingling. ASMR stimulation is easy to use, and appropriate for wellness purposes and a wide range of people.

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Basolateral amygdala input to the medial prefrontal cortex controls obsessive-compulsive disorder-like checking behavior

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1814292116 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 116 (9) ◽

pp. 3799-3804 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Tingting Sun ◽

Zihua Song ◽

Yanghua Tian ◽

Wenbo Tian ◽

Chunyan Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Basolateral Amygdala ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Neuronal Tracing ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Glutamatergic Neurons ◽

Fmri Study ◽

Checking Behavior

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects ∼1 to 3% of the world’s population. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the excessive checking symptoms in OCD are not fully understood. Using viral neuronal tracing in mice, we found that glutamatergic neurons from the basolateral amygdala (BLAGlu) project onto both medial prefrontal cortex glutamate (mPFCGlu) and GABA (mPFCGABA) neurons that locally innervate mPFCGlu neurons. Next, we developed an OCD checking mouse model with quinpirole-induced repetitive checking behaviors. This model demonstrated decreased glutamatergic mPFC microcircuit activity regulated by enhanced BLAGlu inputs. Optical or chemogenetic manipulations of this maladaptive circuitry restored the behavioral response. These findings were verified in a mouse functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, in which the BLA–mPFC functional connectivity was increased in OCD mice. Together, these findings define a unique BLAGlu→mPFCGABA→Glu circuit that controls the checking symptoms of OCD.

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