Abstract
The neural circuits mediating fear to naturalistic threats are poorly understood. We found that functionally independent populations of neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), a region that has been implicated in feeding, sex and aggression, are essential for predator and social fear in mice. Our results establish a critical role for VMH in fear and have implications for selective intervention in pathological fear in humans.
Publication types
-
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
-
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
-
Action Potentials / drug effects
-
Animals
-
Antipsychotic Agents / pharmacology
-
Clozapine / analogs & derivatives
-
Clozapine / pharmacology
-
Dependovirus / genetics
-
Electroshock / adverse effects
-
Fear / psychology*
-
Female
-
Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic / physiology
-
Hypothalamus / cytology*
-
Hypothalamus / metabolism
-
In Vitro Techniques
-
Luminescent Proteins / genetics
-
Luminescent Proteins / metabolism
-
Male
-
Mice
-
Mice, Inbred C57BL
-
Mice, Transgenic
-
Nerve Net / physiology*
-
Neurons / drug effects
-
Neurons / physiology*
-
Plant Lectins / genetics
-
Plant Lectins / metabolism
-
Predatory Behavior*
-
Protein Prenylation
-
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / metabolism
-
Rats
-
Rats, Inbred SHR
-
Social Behavior*
-
Steroidogenic Factor 1 / genetics
-
Synapsins / metabolism
Substances
-
Antipsychotic Agents
-
Luminescent Proteins
-
Plant Lectins
-
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos
-
Steroidogenic Factor 1
-
Synapsins
-
steroidogenic factor 1, mouse
-
tomato lectin
-
Clozapine
-
clozapine N-oxide