Topic: chemogenetic manipulation

Parental care is crucial for the survival and development of offspring in altricial mammalian species. While maternal behavior in postpartum females is already well understood, the neural mechanisms underlying the acquisition of maternal behavior without prior experience still remains unclear. In this project we aimed to understand and decipher the individual key mechanism underlying this ability.We could demonstrate that virgin females can rapidly develop maternal care behavior upon first-time pup exposure, and that this process is initiated by the activation of the anterior cingulate cortex

Despite clinical data stretching over millennia, the neurobiological basis of the effectiveness of acupuncture in central nervous system disorders has remained elusive. In this study, using an established model of acupuncture treatment in Parkinson’s disease (PD) mice, we show that peripheral acupuncture stimulation activates hypothalamic melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons via nerve conduction. Moreover, we identify two distinct neural pathways originating from anatomically and electrophysiologically distinct MCH neuronal subpopulations, projecting to the substantia nigra and hippocam

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a crucial role in the control of social behaviour. However, its projections to the medial preoptic area (MPOA) have not been investigated. Our research team has previously shown that ascending inputs to the MPOA increase the extent of social interactions between rats. Therefore, we determined the projection pattern of mPFC neurons projecting to the MPOA and examined their role in social behaviour. Retrogradely transferred adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing Cre recombinase was injected into the MPOA followed by an mPFC injection of an AAV encoding

We have reported that two types of ERs, ERa and ERb, are differentially involved in the estrogenic regulation of various kinds of social behaviors in both sexes of mice. In contrast to ERa-dependent action, the neuronal mechanisms of ERb action are still largely unknown. Using the ERb-RFPtg mouse line, we found a differential distribution of ERb from ERa at the “cellular level” in each of the ERb-rich brain regions in the social behavior neural network, such as the medial amygdala (MeA), lateral septum, and midbrain dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). To further determine the functions of these ERb-ex

We have established that the posterior intralaminar thalamic nucleus (PIL) receives ascending input from the somatosensory system and promotes social grooming in female rats. In the present study, we focused on the role of PIL neurons in aggressive behavior. For chemogenetic manipulation of PIL neurons, we injected AAV into the PIL, which expressed excitatory and inhibitory DREADD. In a separate experiment, we selectively tagged socially c-Fos-activated neurons in the PIL. On the first day of the experiments, a vehicle was injected followed by male intruder test 1.5 hours later. On the next da

Sweet, high-sugar containing foods are extremely palatable and often consumed in the absence of caloric needs, thereby driving positive energy balance and accelerating obesity development. Pharmacological studies suggest that endogenous opioid signaling in the brain mediates this specific appetite for sugar in satiety states; however, the cellular and circuit mechanisms remain unknown. We find that pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons, which are well known for their satiety promoting effects via the melanocortin-4 receptor system, selectively inhibit postsynaptic neurons in the paraventricular