Topic: posterior intralaminar thalamic nucleus

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

The lateral septum (LS) is supposed to have a role in maternal behaviour based on lesion studies, however, the responsible cellular networks are unknown yet. We aimed to characterize maternally activated septal neurons and their function in maternal regulation. We established that all pup-induced c-Fos+ septal neurons are inhibitory GABAergic neurons. Some of these neurons in the ventral subdivision of the LS (LSv) contain calbindin (Cb+). The number of c-Fos-activated Cb+ neurons was markedly higher in mothers following pup-exposure than pup deprivation. Functional investigation of LS Cb+ neu

The lateral septum (LS) demonstrates activation in response to pup exposure in rat mothers, and its lesions eliminate maternal behaviors suggesting its involvement in maternal brain circuitry. This study shows that the density of pup-activated neurons in the ventral subdivision of the LS (LSv) is nearly equivalent to that in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), the major regulatory site of maternal behavior. When somatosensory inputs including suckling are not allowed, pup-induced activation was markedly reduced in the LSv. Retrograde tract tracing identified various brain regions potentially infl