Somatostatin-Positive Neurons in the Rostral Zona Incerta Modulate Innate Fear-Induced Defensive Response in Mice  

作　　者：Shan Lin Meng-Yue Zhu Meng-Yu Tang Mi Wang Xiao-Dan Yu Yi Zhu Shi-Ze Xie Dan Yang Jiadong Chen Xiao-Ming Li 

机构地区：[1]Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of the Second Afliated Hospital,Zhejiang University School of Medicine,Hangzhou 310058,China [2]NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology,MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration,School of Brain Science and Brian Medicine,Zhejiang University,Hangzhou 310058,China [3]Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence,Research Units for Emotion and Emotion Disorders,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,China/Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,Joint Institute for Genetics and Genome Medicine between Zhejiang University and the University of Toronto,Hangzhou 310058,China

出　　处：《Neuroscience Bulletin》2023年第2期245-260,共16页神经科学通报（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the Science and Technology Innovation 2030-Major Project of Brain Science and Brain-like Research(2021ZD0202700,2021ZD0202702);the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province(2019B030335001,2018B030334001);the Major Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82090030,82090031);the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences(2019-12M-5-057);the Ministry of Science and Technology(2019YFA0110103);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81870898);the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(2021FZZX001-37);the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation(LR18H090002);the Young Scientist Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82001135).

摘　　要：Defensive behaviors induced by innate fear or Pavlovian fear conditioning are crucial for animals to avoid threats and ensure survival.The zona incerta(ZI)has been demonstrated to play important roles in fear learning and fear memory,as well as modulating auditory-induced innate defensive behavior.However,whether the neuronal subtypes in the ZI and specific circuits can mediate the innate fear response is largely unknown.Here,we found that somatostatin(SST)-positive neurons in the rostral ZI of mice were activated by a visual innate fear stimulus.Optogenetic inhibition of SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI resulted in reduced flight responses to an overhead looming stimulus.Optogenetic activation of SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI induced fear-like defensive behavior including increased immobility and bradycardia.In addition,we demonstrated that manipulation of the GABAergic projections from SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI to the downstream nucleus reuniens(Re)mediated fear-like defensive behavior.Retrograde trans-synaptic tracing also revealed looming stimulus-activated neurons in the superior colliculus(SC)that projected to the Re-projecting SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI(SC-ZIrSST-Re pathway).Together,our study elucidates the function of SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI and the SC-ZIrSST-Re tri-synaptic circuit in mediating the innate fear response.

关 键 词：Innate fear Zona incerta Somatostatinpositive neurons Looming stimulus Defensive behavior 

分 类 号：R285.5[医药卫生—中药学]