The role of the paraventricular thalamus in fear
Description
The appropriate selection of passive and active defensive behaviors during fearful situations is essential for survival. Studies in both rodents and primates have shown that passive defensive responses depend on the activity of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) whereas active ones rely on the nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, the mechanisms underlying flexible switching between CeA-driven (passive) and NAc-driven (active) defensive responses, remain unknown. Recently, using a behavioral task in which mice must trade an evolutionarily conserved passive defensive response (i.e. freezing) for an instrumental one (i.e. active avoidance) to avoid punishment, we discovered that the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) biases the selection of defensive behaviors through its interaction with the CeA and the NAc. Our results provide direct evidence that the PVT, a structure increasingly considered as a potential site for guiding behavioral decisions amid motivational conflicts, drives flexible switching between opposing defensive behaviors.
Zoom link for this event is below:
https://mit.zoom.us/j/92986130306
Speaker Bio
TBA
Additional Info
The MIT Colloquium on the Brain and Cognition is a lecture series held weekly during the academic year and features a wide array of speakers from all areas of neuroscience and cognitive science research. The social teas that follow these colloquia bring together students, staff, and faculty to discuss the talk, as well as other research activities within Building 46, at MIT, and around the world. This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT. Colloquia are open to the community, and are held in MIT's Building 46, Room 3002 (Singleton Auditorium) at 4:00PM with a reception to follow.