Cited by 1,289Memory and Neural MechanismsNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 32 of the 32 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 19 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Amygdala circuitry mediating reversible and bidirectional control of anxiety

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Abstract

Anxiety—a sustained state of heightened apprehension in the absence of immediate threat—becomes severely debilitating in disease states. Anxiety disorders represent the most common of psychiatric diseases (28% lifetime prevalence) and contribute to the aetiology of major depression and substance abuse. Although it has been proposed that the amygdala, a brain region important for emotional processing, has a role in anxiety, the neural mechanisms that control anxiety remain unclear. Here we explore the neural circuits underlying anxiety-related behaviours by using optogenetics with two-photon microscopy, anxiety assays in freely moving mice, and electrophysiology. With the capability of optogenetics to control not only cell types but also specific connections between cells, we observed that temporally precise optogenetic stimulation of basolateral amygdala (BLA) terminals in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA)—achieved by viral transduction of the BLA with a codon-optimized channelrhodopsin followed by restricted illumination in the downstream CeA—exerted an acute, reversible anxiolytic effect. Conversely, selective optogenetic inhibition of the same projection with a third-generation halorhodopsin (eNpHR3.0) increased anxiety-related behaviours. Importantly, these effects were not observed with direct optogenetic control of BLA somata, possibly owing to recruitment of antagonistic downstream structures. Together, these results implicate specific BLA–CeA projections as critical circuit elements for acute anxiety control in the mammalian brain, and demonstrate the importance of optogenetically targeting defined projections, beyond simply targeting cell types, in the study of circuit function relevant to neuropsychiatric disease.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nature09820

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Metadata

Authors
Tye, K. M., Prakash, R., Kim, S.-Y., Fenno, L. E., Grosenick, L., Zarabi, H., Thompson, K. R., Gradinaru, V., Ramakrishnan, C., & Deisseroth, K.
Affiliations
  • Stanford University (US)
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Deisseroth, Karl
Venue
Nature
Published
2011-03
Volume
471
Issue
7338
Pages
358-362
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2060978874
Cited by
1,289
References
32
Citations by year
2026: 62 · 2025: 73 · 2024: 86 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 76 · 2021: 97 · 2020: 91 · 2019: 84 · 2018: 85 · 2017: 70 · 2016: 100 · 2015: 97 · 2014: 92 · 2013: 76 · 2012: 87
FWCI
47.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Seoul National University Open Repository (Seoul National University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (DP1OD000616)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (F32MH088010, R01MH075957)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA020794)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DP2DK102256)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
anxiety, amygdala, central amygdala, basolateral amygdala, neural circuits, anxiolytic effects, bidirectional control, optogenetic stimulation, optogenetic inhibition, channelrhodopsin, halorhodopsin, fear memory, anxiety disorders, rats, mice
MeSH terms
Amygdala, Animals, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, Light, Models, Neurological, Neural Pathways, Neurons, Stress, Physiological, Synapses, Halorhodopsins, Mice

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