2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Role of VTA-PFC circuit in an animal model of anxiety disorders
| Project/Area Number |
15H05995
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Pharmacology in pharmacy
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| Research Institution | Hokkaido University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2015-08-28 – 2017-03-31
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| Keywords | 神経科学 / 記憶・学習 / 不安障害 / 神経回路 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
We investigated neural basis of fear reinstatement, which was used as an animal model of relapse of anxiety disorders. We found that prefrontal dopamine D1 receptor, but not D2 receptor, is necessary for fear reinstatement. Also, we did anatomical analysis on prefrontal neuronal circuits and found that there is a dense projection from prefrontal cortex (PFC) to periaqueductal gray matter (PAG). Optogenetic activation of PFC-PAG increased locomotor activity. These results contribute to elucidate the mechanism by which animals flexibly regulate behavior according to the environment.
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| Free Research Field |
神経科学
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