PUBLICATION

Multiple convergent hypothalamus-brainstem circuits drive defensive behavior

Authors
Lovett-Barron, M., Chen, R., Bradbury, S., Andalman, A.S., Wagle, M., Guo, S., Deisseroth, K.
ID
ZDB-PUB-200624-8
Date
2020
Source
Nature Neuroscience   23(8): 959-967 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Guo, Su, Wagle, Mahendra
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal/physiology*
  • Brain Stem/physiology*
  • Calcium/metabolism
  • Hypothalamus/physiology*
  • Neural Pathways/physiology
  • Neurons/physiology*
  • Zebrafish/physiology*
PubMed
32572237 Full text @ Nat. Neurosci.
Abstract
The hypothalamus is composed of many neuropeptidergic cell populations and directs multiple survival behaviors, including defensive responses to threats. However, the relationship between the peptidergic identity of neurons and their roles in behavior remains unclear. Here, we address this issue by studying the function of multiple neuronal populations in the zebrafish hypothalamus during defensive responses to a variety of homeostatic threats. Cellular registration of large-scale neural activity imaging to multiplexed in situ gene expression revealed that neuronal populations encoding behavioral features encompass multiple overlapping sets of neuropeptidergic cell classes. Manipulations of different cell populations showed that multiple sets of peptidergic neurons play similar behavioral roles in this fast-timescale behavior through glutamate co-release and convergent output to spinal-projecting premotor neurons in the brainstem. Our findings demonstrate that homeostatic threats recruit neurons across multiple hypothalamic cell populations, which cooperatively drive robust defensive behaviors.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
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Engineered Foreign Genes
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