Smoak Marina A, Galvan Karla J, Calvo Daniel E, Powers Rosalie E, Moschak Travis M
Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, USA.
Graduate Programs in Biosciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, USA.
bioRxiv. 2024 Dec 27:2024.12.26.630448. doi: 10.1101/2024.12.26.630448.
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a critical role in emotional regulation, and its dysregulation is linked to anxiety disorders. In particular, the prelimbic cortex (PrL) of the mPFC is thought to modulate anxiety-related behaviors, though its precise role remains debated. Here, we used endoscopic in vivo calcium imaging to assess PrL neuronal activity in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats performing in the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), a widely used task to measure anxiety-like behavior. We found that animals that spent less time in the open arms exhibited higher PrL activity in the open arms, suggesting that heightened PrL activity may reflect greater anxiety or increased avoidance behavior. These results suggest that the PrL may play a role in regulating the emotional response to anxiety-provoking situations, potentially influencing the tolerance for exposure to threatening environments.
内侧前额叶皮质（mPFC）在情绪调节中起关键作用，其功能失调与焦虑症有关。特别是，mPFC的前边缘皮质（PrL）被认为可调节与焦虑相关的行为，但其确切作用仍存在争议。在此，我们使用内镜体内钙成像技术，评估在高架十字迷宫（EPM）中表现的雄性和雌性Sprague-Dawley大鼠的PrL神经元活动，EPM是一种广泛用于测量焦虑样行为的任务。我们发现，在开放臂中停留时间较少的动物在开放臂中表现出较高的PrL活动，这表明PrL活动增强可能反映出更大的焦虑或增加的回避行为。这些结果表明，PrL可能在调节对引发焦虑情况的情绪反应中起作用，可能影响对暴露于威胁环境的耐受性。
