Opioid
use
disorder
is
marked
by
a
progressive
change
in
the
motivation
to
administer
drug
even
presence
of
negative
consequences.
After
long
periods
abstinence,
urge
return
taking
intensifies
over
time,
known
as
incubation
craving.
Conditioned
responses
drug-related
stimuli,
can
acquire
motivational
properties
and
exert
control
motivated
behaviors
leading
relapse.
Although,
preclinical
data
suggest
that
behavioral
expression
opioid
similar
between
male
female
rodents,
we
do
not
have
conclusive
results
on
sex
differences
craving
relapse
across
abstinence
periods.
Here,
investigated
effects
from
oxycodone
self-administration
neurotransmission
paraventricular
thalamus
(PVT)
nucleus
accumbens
shell
(NAcSh)
pathway
rats.
Using
optogenetics
ex
vivo
electrophysiology,
assessed
synaptic
strength
glutamate
release
probability
this
pathway,
well
NAcSh
medium
spiny
neurons
(MSN)
intrinsic
excitability,
slices
rats
which
were
subjected
either
1
(acute)
or
14
(prolonged)
days
forced
after
self-administration.
Our
revealed
no
somatic
withdrawal
symptoms
following
acute
abstinence.
However,
found
sex-specific
enhancement
cue-induced
prolonged,
but
acute,
self-administration,
with
females
exhibiting
higher
rates.
Notably,
prolonged
led
increases
at
PVT-NAcSh
inputs
compared
saline
controls
both
sexes,
was
observed
Thus,
time-dependent
increase
These
findings
leads
significant
changes,
contributing
heightened
vulnerability,
highlighting
need
for
targeted
therapeutic
strategies
disorder.
Science Advances,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
11(4)
Published: Jan. 22, 2025
Prosocial
behaviors
are
advantageous
to
social
species,
but
the
neural
mechanism(s)
through
which
others
receive
benefit
remain
unknown.
Here,
we
found
that
bystander
mice
display
rescue-like
behavior
(tongue
dragging)
toward
anesthetized
cagemates
and
this
tongue
dragging
promotes
arousal
from
anesthesia
a
direct
tongue-brain
circuit.
We
circuit
→
glutamatergic
neurons
in
mesencephalic
trigeminal
nucleus
(MTN
Glu
)
noradrenergic
locus
coeruleus
(LC
NE
drives
rapid
bystanders.
Artificial
inhibition
of
abolishes
effect
induced
by
behavior.
Further,
revealed
paraventricular
thalamus
(PVT
project
accumbens
shell
(NAcSh)
mediate
These
findings
reveal
connection
underlying
effects
basis
governing
specific
form
prosocial
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences,
Journal Year:
2021,
Volume and Issue:
377(1844)
Published: Dec. 27, 2021
Mental
terms-such
as
perception,
cognition,
action,
emotion,
well
attention,
memory,
decision-making-are
epistemically
sterile.
We
support
our
thesis
based
on
extensive
comparative
neuroanatomy
knowledge
of
the
organization
vertebrate
brain.
Evolutionary
pressures
have
moulded
central
nervous
system
to
promote
survival.
Careful
characterization
brain
shows
that
its
architecture
supports
an
enormous
amount
communication
and
integration
signals,
especially
in
birds
mammals.
The
general
a
degree
'computational
flexibility'
enables
animals
cope
successfully
with
complex
ever-changing
environments.
Here,
we
suggest
neuroarchitecture
does
not
respect
boundaries
standard
mental
terms,
propose
neuroscience
should
aim
unravel
dynamic
coupling
between
large-scale
circuits
complex,
naturalistic
behaviours.
This
article
is
part
theme
issue
'Systems
through
lens
evolutionary
theory'.
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience,
Journal Year:
2022,
Volume and Issue:
16
Published: Aug. 23, 2022
The
midline
and
intralaminar
nuclei
of
the
thalamus
form
a
major
part
"limbic
thalamus;"
that
is,
thalamic
structures
anatomically
functionally
linked
with
limbic
forebrain.
consist
paraventricular
(PV)
paratenial
nuclei,
dorsally
rhomboid
nucleus
reuniens
(RE),
ventrally.
rostral
(ILt)
central
medial
(CM),
paracentral
(PC)
lateral
(CL)
nuclei.
We
presently
concentrate
on
RE,
PV,
CM
CL
thalamus.
receives
diverse
array
input
from
limbic-related
sites,
predominantly
projects
to
hippocampus
"limbic"
cortices.
RE
participates
in
various
cognitive
functions
including
spatial
working
memory,
executive
(attention,
behavioral
flexibility)
affect/fear
behavior.
PV
significant
afferents,
particularly
hypothalamus,
mainly
distributes
"affective"
forebrain
bed
stria
terminalis,
accumbens
amygdala.
Accordingly,
serves
critical
role
"motivated
behaviors"
such
as
arousal,
feeding/consummatory
behavior
drug
addiction.
ILt
both
sensorimotor-related
widely
over
motor
regions
frontal
cortex-and
throughout
dorsal
striatum.
is
for
maintaining
consciousness
directly
sensorimotor
(visuospatial
or
reaction
time
tasks)
tasks
involving
striatal-cortical
interactions.
As
discussed
herein,
while
each
are
distinct,
they
collectively
serve
vital
several
affective,
behaviors
-
components
brainstem-diencephalic-thalamocortical
circuitry.
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
17
Published: April 17, 2023
Anxiety
disorders
are
the
most
common
class
of
mental
illness
in
U.S.,
affecting
40
million
individuals
annually.
is
an
adaptive
response
to
a
stressful
or
unpredictable
life
event.
Though
evolutionarily
thought
aid
survival,
excess
intensity
duration
anxiogenic
can
lead
plethora
adverse
symptoms
and
cognitive
dysfunction.
A
wealth
data
has
implicated
medial
prefrontal
cortex
(mPFC)
regulation
anxiety.
Norepinephrine
(NE)
crucial
neuromodulator
arousal
vigilance
believed
be
responsible
for
many
anxiety
disorders.
NE
synthesized
locus
coeruleus
(LC),
which
sends
major
noradrenergic
inputs
mPFC.
Given
unique
properties
LC-mPFC
connections
heterogeneous
subpopulation
neurons
known
involved
regulating
anxiety-like
behaviors,
likely
modulates
PFC
function
cell-type
circuit-specific
manner.
In
working
memory
stress
response,
follows
inverted-U
model,
where
overly
high
low
release
associated
with
sub-optimal
neural
functioning.
contrast,
based
on
current
literature
review
individual
contributions
disorders,
we
propose
model
level-
adrenergic
receptor-dependent,
NE-PFC
modulation
Further,
advent
new
techniques
measure
unprecedented
spatial
temporal
resolution
will
significantly
help
us
understand
how
The
paraventricular
nucleus
of
the
thalamus
(PVT)
is
known
to
regulate
various
cognitive
and
behavioral
processes.
However,
while
functional
diversity
among
PVT
circuits
has
often
been
linked
cellular
differences,
molecular
identity
spatial
distribution
cell
types
remain
unclear.
To
address
this
gap,
here
we
used
single
RNA
sequencing
(snRNA-seq)
identified
five
molecularly
distinct
neuronal
subtypes
in
mouse
brain.
Additionally,
multiplex
fluorescent
situ
hybridization
top
marker
genes
revealed
that
are
organized
by
a
combination
previously
unidentified
gradients.
Lastly,
comparing
our
dataset
with
recently
published
single-cell
atlas
yielded
novel
insight
into
PVT’s
connectivity
cortex,
including
unexpected
innervation
auditory
visual
areas.
This
comparison
also
data
contains
largely
non-overlapping
transcriptomic
map
multiple
midline
thalamic
nuclei.
Collectively,
findings
uncover
unknown
features
anatomical
organization
provide
valuable
resource
for
future
investigations.
Science Advances,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
9(22)
Published: May 31, 2023
Extinction
memory
retrieval
is
influenced
by
spatial
contextual
information
that
determines
responding
to
conditioned
stimuli
(CS).
However,
it
poorly
understood
whether
representations
are
imbued
with
emotional
values
support
selection.
Here,
we
performed
activity-dependent
engram
tagging
and
in
vivo
single-unit
electrophysiological
recordings
from
the
ventral
hippocampus
(vH)
while
optogenetically
manipulating
basolateral
amygdala
(BLA)
inputs
during
formation
of
cued
fear
extinction
memory.
During
when
CS
acquire
safety
properties,
found
CS-related
activity
vH
reactivated
sleep
consolidation
was
strengthened
upon
retrieval.
Moreover,
facilitated
context
exhibited
precise
coding
its
affective
zones.
Last,
these
patterns
along
were
dependent
on
glutamatergic
transmission
BLA
learning.
Thus,
relies
stimulus
instructed
BLA.
Current Biology,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
34(7), P. 1549 - 1560.e3
Published: March 7, 2024
The
successful
pursuit
of
goals
requires
the
coordinated
execution
and
termination
actions
that
lead
to
positive
outcomes.
This
process
relies
on
motivational
states
are
guided
by
internal
drivers,
such
as
hunger
or
fear.
However,
mechanisms
which
brain
tracks
shape
instrumental
not
fully
understood.
paraventricular
nucleus
thalamus
(PVT)
is
a
midline
thalamic
shapes
motivated
behaviors
via
its
projections
accumbens
(NAc)