Prefrontal Cortex Drives Distinct Projection Neurons in the Basolateral Amygdala.

ABSTRACT: The prefrontal cortex (PFC) regulates emotional behavior via top-down control of the basolateral amygdala (BLA). However, the influence of PFC inputs on the different projection pathways within the BLA remains largely unexplored. Here, we combine whole-cell recordings and optogenetics to study these cell-type specific connections in mouse BLA. We characterize PFC inputs onto three distinct populations of BLA neurons that project to the PFC, ventral hippocampus, or nucleus accumbens. We find that PFC-evoked synaptic responses are strongest at amygdala-cortical and amygdala-hippocampal neurons and much weaker at amygdala-striatal neurons. We assess the mechanisms for this targeting and conclude that it reflects fewer connections onto amygdala-striatal neurons. Given the similar intrinsic pro

SUBMITTER: McGarry LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5714295 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature