State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, National Resource Center for Mutant Mice, Department of Anesthesiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, and Department of Physiology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; Institute for Brain Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, National Resource Center for Mutant Mice, Department of Anesthesiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, and Department of Physiology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Neuron. 2024 Apr 3;112(7):1165-1181.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.007. Epub 2024 Jan 31.
Physical exercise is known to reduce anxiety, but the underlying brain mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we explore a hypothalamo-cerebello-amygdalar circuit that may mediate motor-dependent alleviation of anxiety. This three-neuron loop, in which the cerebellar dentate nucleus takes center stage, bridges the motor system with the emotional system. Subjecting animals to a constant rotarod engages glutamatergic cerebellar dentate neurons that drive PKCδ amygdalar neurons to elicit an anxiolytic effect. Moreover, challenging animals on an accelerated rather than a constant rotarod engages hypothalamic neurons that provide a superimposed anxiolytic effect via an orexinergic projection to the dentate neurons that activate the amygdala. Our findings reveal a cerebello-limbic pathway that may contribute to motor-triggered alleviation of anxiety and that may be optimally exploited during challenging physical exercise.
体育锻炼可降低焦虑，但其中的大脑机制尚不清楚。本文探索了一条可能介导运动依赖性焦虑缓解的下丘脑-小脑-杏仁核回路。该三神经元环路以小脑齿状核为中心，连接运动系统和情绪系统。让动物在恒速转棒上运动，会兴奋谷氨酸能小脑齿状核神经元，驱动 PKCδ 杏仁核神经元，产生抗焦虑作用。此外，让动物在加速而不是恒速转棒上运动，会兴奋下丘脑神经元，通过投射到齿状核神经元的食欲素能纤维施加叠加的抗焦虑作用，从而激活杏仁核。本研究发现了一条可能参与运动触发的焦虑缓解的小脑-边缘通路，在挑战性的体育锻炼中可能得到最佳利用。
