Functional study of the gabaergic and glutamatergic cell groups in the cuneiform nucleus

• Grant number: 23/07434-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Anatomy
• Principal Investigator: Newton Sabino Canteras
• Grantee: Bruna Rodrigues Corrêa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The cuneiform nucleus (CUN) is a midbrain structure located laterally to the caudal part ofthe periaqueductal gray matter. Hodological studies show that CUN is part of the neuralsystem that integrates anti-predatory defense responses. Importantly, CUN has bothglutamatergic and GABAergic cell bodies. Our laboratory's preliminary findings showed alarge overlap of the CUN glutamatergic and GABAergic cell projections. In this project, wepropose to investigate the differential role of these two neural populations of the CUN indefensive behavior. We will investigate the behavioral pattern from the selectiveoptogenetic stimulation of the glutamatergic and GABAergic groups of the CUN. Thisselective optogenetic stimulation will be followed by an analysis of FOS proteinexpression in neural sites differentially mobilized by glutamatergic and GABAergic neuralpopulations.