RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 κ Opioid Receptor-Dynorphin Signaling in the Central Amygdala Regulates Conditioned Threat Discrimination and Anxiety
JF eneuro
JO eNeuro
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP ENEURO.0370-20.2020
DO 10.1523/ENEURO.0370-20.2020
VO 8
IS 1
A1 Madison A. Baird
A1 TingTing Y. Hsu
A1 Rachel Wang
A1 Barbara Juarez
A1 Larry S. Zweifel
YR 2021
UL http://www.eneuro.org/content/8/1/ENEURO.0370-20.2020.abstract
AB Neuropeptides within the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) potently modulate neuronal excitability and have been shown to regulate conditioned threat discrimination and anxiety. Here, we investigated the role of κ opioid receptor (KOR) and its endogenous ligand dynorphin in the CeA for regulation of conditioned threat discrimination and anxiety-like behavior in mice. We demonstrate that reduced KOR expression through genetic inactivation of the KOR encoding gene, Oprk1, in the CeA results in increased anxiety-like behavior and impaired conditioned threat discrimination. In contrast, reduction of dynorphin through genetic inactivation of the dynorphin encoding gene, Pdyn, in the CeA has no effect on anxiety or conditioned threat discrimination. However, inactivation of Pdyn from multiple sources, intrinsic and extrinsic to the CeA phenocopies Oprk1 inactivation. These findings suggest that dynorphin inputs to the CeA signal through KOR to promote threat discrimination and dampen anxiety.