Journal: Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science
Article Title: Prepronociceptin-Expressing Neurons in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Signal Escape Behavior
doi: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100538
Figure Lengend Snippet: Bulk activity of Pnoc BNST neurons increases as mice are within close proximity to aversive TMT odor. (A) Schematic depicting implantation of a GRIN lens above the adBNST in Pnoc -IRES-Cre mice injected with AAVdf-EF1α-DIO-GCaMP6s. (B) Schematic of a freely moving mouse with a miniaturized head-mounted microscope. (C) Representative image of Pnoc BNST neurons visualized through the implanted GRIN lens. (D) Example calcium traces extracted from 4 representative Pnoc BNST neurons using constrained nonnegative matrix factorization for endoscopic data. (E) Diagram of the odor preference test arena and the order in which mice are exposed to the control (water, 2.5 μL) and aversive predator odor (TMT, 2.5 μL). The arena is segmented into far, middle, and near zones based on proximity to odor swab. (F) Representative heatmaps from one mouse showing occupancy frequency within odor zones during control (water) and TMT exposure trials. Red denotes areas of highest frequency, whereas blue indicates areas rarely visited by the mouse. (G) Quantification of the time spent within each odor zone during control and TMT trials. (H–J) Behavioral analysis comparing total distance traveled (H) , average velocity (I) , and total freezing duration (J) during control and TMT exposure periods. (K) Heatmaps depicting individual (top) and group-averaged (bottom) calcium activity of Pnoc BNST neurons during control and TMT trials. (L) Comparison of the averaged bulk activity of Pnoc BNST neurons during control and TMT odor exposures. (M) Comparison of Pnoc BNST neuronal activity across the far, middle, and near odor zones during control and TMT trials. Data presented as mean ± SEM. Sample size: 211 neurons recorded from 7 male mice. ∗∗ p < .01, ∗∗∗∗ p < .0001. adBNST, anterior dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; a.u., arbitrary units; GRIN, gradient refractive index.
Article Snippet: A gradient refractive index (GRIN) lens (dimensions: 0.6 mm in diameter, 7.3 mm in length; Inscopix) was implanted 200 μm above the injection site, and a magnetic baseplate was secured around the lens to facilitate attachment of a miniaturized microscope (nVista 2.0; Inscopix).
Techniques: Activity Assay, Injection, Microscopy, Control, Comparison, Refractive Index
