Topic: anxiety-like behaviors

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is increasingly recognized as a key regulator of depression and anxiety-like behaviors. However, the specific contribution of individual BLA neurons to these behaviors remains poorly understood. Building on our previous study, which demonstrated increased activity in glutamatergic BLA neurons in response to aversive stimuli and that enhancing inhibition in the BLA can alleviate depressive-like behaviors, we investigated the role of individual GABAergic neurons (BLAGABA) in depressive and anxiety-like phenotypes. Our findings indicate that BLAGABA neurons show dec

AIMS: Nicotine, the main psychoactive compound of tobacco, binds on cationic nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) to increase the firing rate of dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), leading to higher release of DA in target structures and positive reinforcement. Besides rewarding properties, nicotine also promotes negative effects. Recently, we showed heterogeneity in nicotine-induced responses on VTA DA subpopulations targeting nucleus accumbens (NAc) and amygdala (AMg) nuclei. NAc-projecting DA neurons are activated by nicotine and their optogenetic activation is reinforcin

Environmental enrichment (EE) is a husbandry procedure known to provide enhanced somatosensory, locomotor and cognitive stimulation. It has been shown to exert significant beneficial effects on cognitive function improving rodent behavior, altering neuronal plasticity, and promoting stress resilience. Concurrently, emerging research highlights the intricate bidirectional communication between the gut microbiome and central nervous system, known as the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Therefore, the aim of this work is to investigate, whether the beneficial effects of EE are linked to alterations in

Neuromelanin (NM) is a black pigment that accumulates in human dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons throughout life. NM levels beyond a certain threshold are believed to be toxic contribute to neurodegeneration seen in Parkinson's disease. Here, we present a genetically encoded and cell-specific viral strategy to induce NM production in disease models, which naturally do not have detectable levels of NM. We also set out to investigate how different accumulation rates of NM in noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus lead to distinct dynamics in neurodegeneration and associated changes in

Anxiety, a heightened state of arousal and negative affect, is an adaptive response essential for increasing awareness of potential threats in the environment. Research on the mechanisms leading to the pathological development of this response is crucial. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is recognized as a key brain region for encoding information related to salient stimuli, and in recent years, has been attributed a novel role as a threat encoder and coordinator of defensive behaviors. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) actively mediates responses to uncertainty in the environment