Han Wenfei, Tellez Luis A, Rangel Miguel J, Motta Simone C, Zhang Xiaobing, Perez Isaac O, Canteras Newton S, Shammah-Lagnado Sara J, van den Pol Anthony N, de Araujo Ivan E
The John B Pierce Laboratory, New Haven, CT 06519, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA; School & Hospital of Stomatology, Tongji University, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Tooth Restoration and Regeneration, Shanghai 200072, China.
The John B Pierce Laboratory, New Haven, CT 06519, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA.
Cell. 2017 Jan 12;168(1-2):311-324.e18. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.12.027.
Superior predatory skills led to the evolutionary triumph of jawed vertebrates. However, the mechanisms by which the vertebrate brain controls predation remain largely unknown. Here, we reveal a critical role for the central nucleus of the amygdala in predatory hunting. Both optogenetic and chemogenetic stimulation of central amygdala of mice elicited predatory-like attacks upon both insect and artificial prey. Coordinated control of cervical and mandibular musculatures, which is necessary for accurately positioning lethal bites on prey, was mediated by a central amygdala projection to the reticular formation in the brainstem. In contrast, prey pursuit was mediated by projections to the midbrain periaqueductal gray matter. Targeted lesions to these two pathways separately disrupted biting attacks upon prey versus the initiation of prey pursuit. Our findings delineate a neural network that integrates distinct behavioral modules and suggest that central amygdala neurons instruct predatory hunting across jawed vertebrates.
卓越的捕食技能导致了有颌脊椎动物在进化上的胜利。然而，脊椎动物大脑控制捕食的机制在很大程度上仍不为人知。在此，我们揭示了杏仁核中央核在捕食行为中的关键作用。对小鼠杏仁核中央核进行光遗传学和化学遗传学刺激，均可引发对昆虫和人工猎物的类捕食攻击。对颈部和下颌肌肉组织的协调控制是在猎物上准确施加致命一咬所必需的，这是由杏仁核中央核向脑干网状结构的投射介导的。相比之下，对猎物的追捕是由向中脑导水管周围灰质的投射介导的。对这两条通路的靶向损伤分别破坏了对猎物的咬击攻击和猎物追捕的启动。我们的研究结果描绘了一个整合不同行为模块的神经网络，并表明杏仁核中央核神经元指导着所有有颌脊椎动物的捕食行为。
