Role of the rostral dorsomedial column of the periaqueductal gray during social defeat in rats

Autor(es)

de Almeida, Alisson Pinto ; Tamais, Alicia Moraes ; Zerbini, Carolina ; Melleu, Fernando Falkenburger ; Canteras, Newton Sabino ; Motta, Simone Cristina

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences; v. 1530, n. 1, p. 14-pg., 2023-10-11.

Resumo

Previous studies showed that the dorsal premammillary nucleus of the hypothalamus (PMD) is involved in social passive defensive behaviors likely to be meditated by descending projections to the periaqueductal gray (PAG). We focused on the rostral dorsomedial PAG (rPAGdm) to reveal its putative neural mechanisms involved in mediating social defensive responses. By combining retrograde tracing and FOS expression analysis, we showed that in addition to the PMD, the rPAGdm is influenced by several brain sites active during social defeat. Next, we found that cytotoxic lesions of the rPAGdm drastically reduced passive defense and did not affect active defensive responses. We then examined the rPAGdm's projection pattern and found that the PAGdm projections are mostly restricted to midbrain sites, including the precommissural nucleus, different columns of the PAG, and the cuneiform nucleus (CUN). Also, we found decreased FOS expression in the caudal PAGdm, CUN, and PMD after the rPAGdm was lesioned. The results support that the rPAGdm mediates passive social defensive responses through ascending paths to prosencephalic circuits likely mediated by the CUN. This study provides further support for the role of the PAG in the modulation of behavioral responses by working as a unique hub for influencing prosencephalic sites during the mediation of aversive responses. Previous studies showed that the dorsal pre-mammillary nucleus of the hypothalamus is involved in social passive defensive behaviors likely to be meditated by descending projections to the periaqueductal gray (PAG). We focused on the rostral dorsomedial PAG to reveal its putative neural mechanisms involved in mediating social defensive responses. #image (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 10/05905-3 - Análise de respostas neuroendócrinas e autonômicas de ratos com lesão neurotóxica do núcleo pré-mamilar dorsal do hipotálamo durante a derrota social
• Beneficiário: Simone Cristina Motta
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 21/05413-8 - Análise da contribuição funcional do núcleo pré-mamilar dorsal do hipotálamo (PMD) na defesa social de camundongos C57Bl/6.
• Beneficiário: Carolina Zerbini
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Iniciação Científica
• Processo FAPESP: 22/07530-4 - Papel do núcleo medial da amígdala na reexposição à derrota social
• Beneficiário: Alicia Moraes Tamais
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado Direto
• Processo FAPESP: 21/02864-9 - Papel da porção justadorsomedial do hipotálamo lateral no processamento do contexto espacial associado à derrota social
• Beneficiário: Alisson Pinto de Almeida
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado Direto
• Processo FAPESP: 16/18667-0 - Manipulando o circuito neural da defesa social
• Beneficiário: Simone Cristina Motta
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores