Supplementary Figure 15: Working model of the anxiolytic CRH circuit. | Nature Neuroscience

Supplementary Figure 15: Working model of the anxiolytic CRH circuit.

From: Chronic CRH depletion from GABAergic, long-range projection neurons in the extended amygdala reduces dopamine release and increases anxiety

Supplementary Figure 15

(a) In control mice under baseline conditions, GABAergic/CAMK2A/CRH neurons in the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (aBNST) and central amygdala (CeA) project monosynaptically to the ventral tegmental area (VTA). There, presynaptic CRH release activates postsynaptic CRHR1 on VTA-to-prefrontal cortex (PFC) projecting (mesocortical) dopaminergic neurons to modulate dopamine release, and thereby alter anxiety. (b) Conditional deletion of Crhr1 in dopaminergic neurons (Crhr1CKO-DA mice) results in diminished dopamine release in the PFC and increased anxiety behavior1. Similar effects are observed when Crh is deleted from VTA-targeting GABAergic/CAMK2A/CRH neurons in the aBNST and CeA (Crhr1CKO-Camk2α mice).

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