Wang Xinxin, Zhang Yongsheng, Wang Xu, Dai Jiaqi, Hua Ruifang, Zeng Shaoqun, Li Haohong
Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
Sci Bull (Beijing). 2020 Jul 30;65(14):1203-1216. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2020.03.028. Epub 2020 Mar 21.
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) plays a critical role in regulating anxiety, yet the involved specific cell types and their connections functioning in anxiety-related behaviors remains elusive. Here we identified two cell subpopulations-corticotropin-releasing hormone-positive (CRH+) and protein kinase C-δ-positive (PKC-δ+) neurons-each displayed discrete emotionally valenced behaviors in the anterior-dorsal BNST (adBNST). Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings and virus-assisted circuit tracing techniques, we delineated the local and long-range connectivity networks in a cell-type-specific manner. The results show that the CRH+ and PKC-δ+ neurons received inputs from similar brain regions and exhibited significant differences in the downstream projection density. In addition, in vivo calcium imaging as well as gain- and loss-of-function studies characterized the physiological response properties and the functional heterogeneities in modulating anxiety, further suggesting the similarity and individuality between the two adBNST cell types. These results provide novel insights into the circuit architecture of adBNST neurons underlying the functionally specific neural pathways that relate to anxiety disorders.
终纹床核（BNST）在调节焦虑中起关键作用，然而参与其中的特定细胞类型及其在焦虑相关行为中的连接功能仍不清楚。在这里，我们鉴定出两个细胞亚群——促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素阳性（CRH+）和蛋白激酶C-δ阳性（PKC-δ+）神经元——它们在前背侧终纹床核（adBNST）中各自表现出离散的情绪效价行为。使用全细胞膜片钳记录和病毒辅助的回路追踪技术，我们以细胞类型特异性的方式描绘了局部和远程连接网络。结果表明，CRH+和PKC-δ+神经元从相似的脑区接收输入，并且在下游投射密度上表现出显著差异。此外，体内钙成像以及功能获得和功能缺失研究表征了调节焦虑时的生理反应特性和功能异质性，进一步表明了两种adBNST细胞类型之间的相似性和独特性。这些结果为与焦虑症相关的功能特异性神经通路基础的adBNST神经元的回路结构提供了新的见解。
