Fig. 4: VTA → BLA neuronal activity controls anxiety-like behavior. | Nature Communications

Fig. 4: VTA → BLA neuronal activity controls anxiety-like behavior.

From: Midbrain projection to the basolateral amygdala encodes anxiety-like but not depression-like behaviors

Fig. 4

a Experimental timeline and schematic of subthreshold social defeat stress (Sub.D) experiment. b (Top) sample trace of in vivo photo-tagged recordings and (bottom) the mean ± s.e.m. averaged decreased firing activity of VTA → BLA dopamine neurons upon NpHR-optogenetic manipulation (0.1 Hz, 5 s pulse width, i.e., alternating 5 s ON and 5 s OFF during the 5 min EPM test period, ANOVA F(2, 8) = 48.44 p = 3.4e−05; t = 8.35 p = .001; t = 8.68 p = 0.001). c Heatmap representation and time spent in EPM open arms of Sub.D experienced mice expressing eYFP (Sub.D-eYFP) or NpHR (Sub.D-NpHR) during the NpHR-optogenetic manipulation (t-tests, t = 2.419, p = 0.027, n = 9,10 C57BL6/J mice). d Heatmap representation and time spent in EPM open arms of the same mice while laser stimulation is not applied (t-test, t = 0.554, p = 0.58, n = 9,10 mice). e Experimental timeline and schematic of brain surgery to dissect the VTA → BLA circuit. f Sample trace of in vivo photo-tagging recordings and (bottom) the mean ± s.e.m. averaged increased firing activity of VTA → BLA dopamine neurons upon ChR2-optogenetic stimulation (RM ANOVA F(2, 8) = 12.11 p = 0.006; t = 3.67 p = 0.01; t = 3.54 p = 0.01). g Time spent in open arms of mice exposed to CSDS expressing eYFP (CSDS-eYFP) or ChR2 (CSDS-ChR2) in VTA → BLA neurons while light stimulation is not applied (t-test, t = 0.029, p = 0.97, n = 17,19 C57BL6/J mice). h ChR2-optogenetic stimulation is applied during the 5 min EPM test (Mann–Whitney test, U = 88, p = 0.01, n = 17,19 mice). i ChR2-optogenetic stimulation is applied selectively to the EPM center. (Left) Schematic of the selective ChR2-optogenetic stimulation to the EPM center and heatmap representation of time spent in EPM compartments in CSDS-eYFP and CSDS-ChR2 mice. (Right) Resulting time spent in open arms of CSDS-ChR2 mice compared to the CSDS-eYFP mice (Mann–Whitney test, U = 41, p = 0.001, n = 17,19 mice). In all panels, data are represented as mean ± s.e.m.; two-sided statistical analyses and post hoc corrected tests were performed, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. See also Supplementary Figs. 6–11.

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