Characterization of neuronal networks in the amygdala underlying aversive information processing

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K07004
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: Jikei University School of Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Watabe Ayako 東京慈恵会医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (00334277)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 扁桃体 / 情動 / マウス / 可塑性 / 神経ペプチド

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The amygdala plays a key role in Pavlovian fear/threat conditioning which is accomplished by associating a conditioned stimuli (CS) and an unconditioned stimuli (US). While molecular mechanisms underlying CS-US association and plasticity in the CS pathway has been extensively studied, not much is known about the nature of US pathway(S) and their plasticity. Here we found that neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays critical roles in formalin-induce behavioral plasticity in vivo as well as synaptic plasticity in the parabrachial-amygdaloid pathway in acute brain slices.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

従来の研究では、連合学習におけるCS経路可塑性の分子メカニズムやその生理的意義が中心であったが、本研究成果によりUS経路の可塑性メカニズムの一端を明らかにすることができた。腕傍核から扁桃体への直接経路は慢性疼痛モデルや心的外傷後ストレス障害モデルにおいて可塑性異常が報告されており、本研究成果により、多様な疾患に伴う負情動制御破綻のメカニズム解明や将来的にはその治療法開発にも繋がる基礎的知見を得ることができた。