Behavioural NeuroscienceResearch PaperAnxiety-like behavior is modulated by a discrete subpopulation of interneurons in the basolateral amygdala
Section snippets
Animals
Male Wistar rats (Harlan Sprague-Dawley, Indianapolis, IN, USA) between 325 and 350 g were individually housed with free access to food and water. The room temperature was maintained at 72 °F (22 °C) on a 12-h light/dark schedule. All studies were conducted in accordance with the NIH Guidelines for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (NIH Publication no. 80-23) revised 1996 and the guidelines of the Indiana University Pudrdue University Indianapolis Institutional Animal Care and Use
Phenotypic characterization of BL interneurons
It is has been reported that NK1r expressing cells of the BL co-localize with interneurons containing NPY, SOM and CB, but do not overlap with PV or CR containing interneurons. However, NK1r co-expression with GABA and CCK within the same interneurons has not been examined. Here we used dual labeling immunofluorescence to determine the extent to which NK1r-IR cells were also GABA-IR, CCKL-IR [defined as large (L) CCK-IR cells with a soma diameter >10 μm; Mascagni and McDonald, 2003], and NPY-IR
Discussion
As observed in previous studies utilizing this, or similar targeted toxin (Truitt and Coolen 2002, Levita et al 2003), SSP-SAP injections ablate approximately 80% of the NK1r expressing cells in a regionally selective and cell-type specific manner. Specifically, NK1r-IR cells lesions were primarily restricted to the BL without significantly reducing NK1r-IR cells in adjacent CeA as well as not significantly reducing the total number of neurons (NeuN-IR) or even interneurons (GABA-IR). This
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have demonstrated that a small population of GABAergic cells, the NK1r interneurons, in the BL is capable of regulating anxiety-like behaviors. These cells are likely to modulate behaviors by their action within the context of the BL local circuit, and loss of these cells results in exaggerated levels of anxiety-like responses. Furthermore, this study also demonstrates that the targeted toxin approach is a valid tool in the assessment of the functional roles of local circuit
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge Pam Kelley for blinded scoring of the SI behavior. This work was supported by PHS grants RO1s MH065702 and MH52619 to A.S.
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