Topic: associative fear learning

Learning by experience that certain cues in the environment predict danger is crucial for survival. How dopamine (DA) circuits drive this form of associative learning is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that DA neurons projecting to a unique subregion of the dorsal striatum, the posterior tail of the striatum (TS), encode an aversive prediction error (PE) signal during associative fear learning. These DA neurons are necessary specifically during acquisition of fear learning, but not once the fear memory is formed, and are not required for forming cue-reward associations. Notably, tem

The basolateral amygdala (BLA), traditionally known for its role in associative fear learning, may also play a role in self-initiated, incentive-motivated behaviors. However, it is unclear how the BLA contributes to learning to initiate neutral actions for a positive outcome. In particular, while the mouse secondary motor cortex (M2), a key region involved in spontaneous action initiation, is a major target of BLA glutamatergic output, it is unknown whether and how BLA-M2 communication is involved in the self-initiation of incentive-motivated actions. To address these questions, we trained hea

Neuroligin-2 (Nlgn2) is a postsynaptic adhesion protein that regulates the organization of GABAergic inhibitory synapses. NLGN2 gene variants have been linked to several psychiatric disorders, and deletion of Nlgn2 in mice results in a pronounced increase in innate anxiety-related avoidance behaviors. It is unknown, however, whether Nlgn2 also regulates other forms of defensive behaviors, and through which neuronal circuits these effects are mediated. Here, we therefore investigated the consequences of Nlgn2 deletion on the neuronal circuits that control associative fear learning in mice. We f