Thalamic circuits in the integration of fear and reward

University Of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston, Houston TX

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The experiments described in this proposal will be performed during the R00 phase of this award, as a newly hired Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The brain?s ability to identify and associate reward and aversive stimuli with other environmental cues allows an individual to select the most appropriate response. However, it is not clear to what degree the brain circuits mediating reward and aversion (fear) function independently or together. We recently found that the paraventricular thalamus (PVT), a region implicated reward signaling, is recruited for fear retrieval at later time points after learning. This suggests that PVT may be part of a core neural network integrating reward with fear responses. Using optogenetic techniques to silence with halorhodopsin specific PVT efferents, in Aim 1 we propose to examine the role of distinct PVT circuits during the integration of innate fear and food-seeking behaviors. In Aim 2, we will investigate how PVT activity modulates innate fear responses in the presence or absence of a reward cue. We will use a cre-dependent ChR2 approach to activate specific PVT efferents during predator odor exposure in the presence or absence of food. Using unit-recording combined with ChR2-Cre technique, in Aim 3 we will identify and record from specific PVT-projecting neurons during predator odor exposure in the presence or absence of food. Investigating how the brain circuits integrate reward and aversive stimuli may have clinical relevance for understanding adaptive and motivated behaviors.