defence_SC · Computation of innate threats and defensive behaviour in the mouse
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2017-09-01 → 2020-01-04
- EU contribution
- €195,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
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Results in brief
Computation of innate threats and defensive behaviour in the mouse
When faced with imminent threats, choosing the correct behaviour at the right time is crucial for survival. Animals have to constantly process information from the environment, and correctly identify not only potentially harmful situations, but also the defensive response most likely to succeed. For example, is there anywhere to hide? Is there enough time to escape? In this project we study how the brain implements defensive behavioural choices. Neurons use electrical signals to collect information from the environment, communicate with other neurons, and form behavioural responses. The aim of the study is to measure the electrical signals in single neurons when mice face threatening cues and have to decide whether to escape or freeze, and to understand the activity patterns that control the choice of each behaviour. Recent developments in recording and behavioural techniques, which are used throughout this project, provide a unique opportunity for understanding the basic biology of how the brain makes decisions, at the level of individual neurons. This is important for understanding the mechanisms by which the brain generates behaviour, and is also the level of resolution necessary for devising therapeutic strategies for mental health problems, such as anxiety. Anxious individuals often perceive the environment as over-threatening, and engage in defensive actions too often in detriment of other behaviours. Thus, understanding how neuronal activity causes defensive behaviour in the mouse has the potential to have a positive impact in the treatment of anxiety disorders in humans.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Innate defensive behaviours are emergency responses that animals use to avoid predators and environmental threats, such as escape to a safe shelter or freezing to avoid detection. Engaging in defensive behaviour at the right time and choosing the correct response is essential for survival, but little is known about how the brain achieves this. In this project we aim to understand the neural circuits that process sensory information to compute the presence of a threat and the most appropriate defensive action. We will focus on the mouse superior colliculus (SC), an evolutionarily conserved brain region thought to be crucial for defensive behaviours. In the first stage of the research we will study the behavioural response triggered by both visual and auditory stimuli. We will then identify the SC neurons that facilitate the defensive response using two strategies. First, we will measure the neuronal activity to different defence responses using single-unit recordings in freely moving animals. Second, we will employ a novel method of activity-dependent recombination, to label active neurons during a defined behavioural period and characterize their functionality using optogenetics. Next, we will determine the synaptic input onto SC neuron populations using in-vivo whole-cell recordings in head-fixed mice navigating a virtual environment. Finally, we will combine in-vitro whole-cell recordings with optogenetics and molecular perturbations of ion channels to study the biophysical mechanisms of multisensory synaptic integration in SC neurons. Success in this project will establish the biological mechanisms that SC neurons use to trigger defensive behaviours in the mouse.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON · LondonCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union