Revealing a Cortical Circuit Responsive to Predatory Threats and Mediating Contextual Fear Memory

Autor(es)

Xavier de Lima, Miguel Antonio ^[1] ; Baldo, Marcus Vinicius C. ^[2] ; Canteras, Newton Sabino ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Anat, BR-05508000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Physiol & Biophys, Inst Biomed Sci, BR-05508000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: CEREBRAL CORTEX; v. 29, n. 7, p. 3074-3090, JUL 2019.
• Citações Web of Science: 1

Resumo

The ventral part of the anteromedial thalamic nucleus (AMv) receives substantial inputs from hypothalamic sites that are highly responsive to a live predator or its odor trace and represents an important thalamic hub for conveying predatory threat information to the cerebral cortex. In the present study, we begin by examining the cortico-amygdalar-hippocampal projections of the main AMv cortical targets, namely, the caudal prelimbic, rostral anterior cingulate, and medial visual areas, as well as the rostral part of the ventral retrosplenial area, one of the main targets of the anterior cingulate area. We observed that these areas form a clear cortical network. Next, we revealed that in animals exposed to a live cat, all of the elements of this circuit presented a differential increase in Fos, supporting the idea of a predator threat-responsive cortical network. Finally, we showed that bilateral cytotoxic lesions in each element of this cortical network did not change innate fear responses but drastically reduced contextual conditioning to the predator-associated environment. Overall, the present findings suggest that predator threat has an extensive representation in the cerebral cortex and revealed a cortical network that is responsive to predatory threats and exerts a critical role in processing fear memory. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 16/10389-0 - Investigação do envolvimento das áreas do córtex pré-frontal e de seus alvos no processamento da memória de medo: estudo com técnicas fármaco e optogenéticas
• Beneficiário: Miguel Antonio Xavier de Lima
• Linha de fomento: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 14/05432-9 - Bases neurais do medo e agressão
• Beneficiário: Newton Sabino Canteras
• Linha de fomento: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático