Journal
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
Volume 13, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.814623
Keywords
paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus; glutamatergic neurons; anxiety-like behaviors; wakefulness; optogenetics; chemogenetics
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Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [81771819, 32071140]
- National Key Research and Development Plan of China [2017YFC0108803]
- funds for the Hubei Province Natural Science Foundation [2020CFB593]
- key project of the Hubei Provincial Health and Health Committee Joint Fund [WJ 2019H058]
- Swedish International Cooperation Fund for Research and Education [8201101416]
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In this study, the researchers have identified the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) as a key brain area involved in regulating anxiety and arousal. They used various techniques to demonstrate that different neural circuits downstream of PVN control anxiety-like behaviors and wakefulness. This research provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying anxiety disorders and insomnia, potentially guiding new treatment approaches.
Insomnia and anxiety are two common clinical diseases that threaten people's physical and mental health. Insomnia and anxiety may share some similar underlying neural circuit mechanisms in the brain. In this study, we combine techniques including chemo-fMRI, optogenetics, and chemogenetics to reveal that the glutamatergic neurons of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) regulate both anxiety and arousal through two different downstream neural circuits. Optogenetic activation of the PVN-cingulate cortex (Cg) neural circuit triggers anxiety-like behaviors in mice without affecting the wakefulness, while optogenetic activation of the PVN-paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) neural circuit promotes wakefulness in mice without affecting anxiety-like behaviors. Our research reveals that PVN is a key brain area for controlling anxiety and arousal behaviors. We also provide a neurological explanation for anxiety disorder and insomnia which may offer guidance for treatments including drugs or transcranial magnetic stimulation for the patients.
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