Topic: chemogenetic manipulations

The mammalian Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) has been suggested to modulate sensory information processing across multiple cortical regions via long-range axonal projections. These axonal projections arise from discrete PFC subregions with unique brain-wide connectivity and functional repertoires, which may provide the architecture for modular feedback intended to shape sensory processing. Here, we used axonal tracing, axonal and somatic 2-photon calcium imaging, and chemogenetic manipulations in mice to delineate how projections from the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACA) and ventrolateral Orbitofronta

Sleep deprivation is thought to affect 30% of the population worldwide. Yet our understanding of how sleep disorders develop, how to treat them, and how to prevent cognitive impairment associated with lack of sleep remains limited. Previous studies from our lab have suggested that orexinergic inputs to the hippocampus are more active when mice are sleep deprived, but whether this plays a role in the mechanism for disruption of hippocampal memories during sleep deprivation is unknown. We have used excitatory and inhibitory chemogenetic manipulations to bidirectionally modulate orexin neurons' a

The ability to extinguish fear responses to stimuli that no longer predict danger is critical for adaptive behavior and increases the likelihood of survival. During fear extinction, dopamine (DA) neurons signal the absence of the expected aversive outcome, and this extinction prediction error (EPE) signal is crucial for initiating and driving extinction learning. However, the neural circuits underlying the EPE signal have remained elusive. Here, we investigate the input-output circuitry of EPE-encoding DAneurons in male mice. By employing projection-specific fiber photometry and optogenetics,