RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Prepontine non-giant neurons drive flexible escape behavior in zebrafish
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 668517
DO 10.1101/668517
A1 Gregory D. Marquart
A1 Kathryn M. Tabor
A1 Sadie A. Bergeron
A1 Kevin L. Briggman
A1 Harold A. Burgess
YR 2019
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/06/12/668517.abstract
AB Many species execute ballistic escape reactions to avoid imminent danger. Despite fast reaction times, responses are often highly regulated, reflecting a trade-off between costly motor actions and perceived threat level. However, how sensory cues are integrated within premotor escape circuits remains poorly understood. Here we show that in zebrafish, less precipitous threats elicit a delayed escape, characterized by flexible trajectories, that are driven by a cluster of 38 prepontine neurons that are completely separate from the fast escape pathway. Whereas neurons that initiate rapid escapes receive direct auditory input and drive motor neurons, input and output pathways for delayed escapes are indirect, facilitating integration of cross-modal sensory information. Rapid decision making in the escape system is thus enabled by parallel pathways for ballistic responses and flexible delayed actions.