RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Selection of active defensive behaviors relies on extended amygdala dopamine D2 receptors
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.02.24.432692
DO 10.1101/2021.02.24.432692
A1 Laia Castell
A1 Valentine Le Gall
A1 Laura Cutando
A1 Emma Puighermanal
A1 Daniel Jercog
A1 Pauline Tarot
A1 Adrien Tassou
A1 Anne-Gabrielle Harrus
A1 Marcelo Rubinstein
A1 Régis Nouvian
A1 Cyril Rivat
A1 Cyril Herry
A1 Emmanuel Valjent
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/02/24/2021.02.24.432692.abstract
AB The ability to efficiently switch from one defensive strategy to another maximizes an animal’s chance of survival. Here, we demonstrate that the selection of active defensive behaviors requires the coordinated activation of dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) signaling within the central extended amygdala (EA) comprising the nucleus accumbens, the oval bed nucleus stria terminals and the central amygdala. We find that discriminative learning between predictive and non-predictive threat auditory stimuli is unaltered in mice carrying a temporally-controlled deletion of D2R within output neurons of the EA. In contrast, intact EA D2R signaling is required for active avoidance learning and innate flight responses triggered by a visual threat stimulus (looming). Consequently, conditional D2R knockout mice biased defensive responses toward passive defensive strategies. Altogether, these findings identify EA D2R signaling as an important mechanism by which DA regulates the switch from passive to active defensive behaviors, regardless whether of learned or innate threat.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.