Journal: bioRxiv
Article Title: A sensorimotor brain circuit for transforming aversive experiences into emotional states
doi: 10.64898/2026.01.15.699823
Figure Lengend Snippet: CnF-LA/B pathway instructs aversive memory formation. a ) Fear conditioning paradigm with laser inhibition during the peri-shock period (top) and viral/optogenetic strategy (bottom). b ) Optogenetic inactivation of CnF-LA/B projecting cell bodies reduces auditory fear memory formation. Top, acquisition. Bottom, memory retrieval (one-way ANOVA, F (2, 16) = 14.61, P =0.0002). c ) Optogenetic inhibition of CnF terminals in LA/B viral/optogenetic approach (top) and fluorophore labeled CnF terminals in LA/B (bottom). d ) Optogenetic inactivation of CnF terminals in LA/B reduces auditory fear memory formation. Top, acquisition. Bottom, memory retrieval (one-way ANOVA, F (2, 21) = 24.34, P <0.0001). e ) Conditioning paradigm for tone-laser stimulation of Cnf-LA/B pathway (top) viral/optogenetic strategy (bottom). f ) Pairing tone with optogenetic stimulation of CnF-LA/B pathway produces fear learning during the acquisition session (two-way ANOVA, F (2, 144) = 76.64, P <0.0001). Single trials on y-axis. g ) Increased conditioned freezing is maintained in ChR2 paired group at memory retrieval (one-way ANOVA, F (2, 18) = 8.471, P =0.0026). h ) Effect of optogenetic inhibition of CnF-to-LA/B pathway on escape behaviors. i ) Interpretative working model showing CnF-to-LA pathway receiving inputs from brain regions involved in aversive sensory processing and hierarchically organized defensive responding and, in turn, sending external-sensory and internal-motor information to LA/B to instruct associative emotional memory formation and enhance escape responding. ** P <0.01, *** P <0.001. Data represent mean ± SEM
Article Snippet: For all auditory fear conditioning in behavioral studies, animals were placed into a sound-isolating chamber (Med Associates) and received auditory CSs (74 dB, 5-kHz tone pips at 1 Hz with 250 ms on and 750 ms off for 20 s) and electric shock unconditioned stimuli (US) (1 sec, 0.7mA) which co-terminated with the CS.
Techniques: Inhibition, Labeling