title: Auditory cortex controls sound-driven innate defense behaviour through corticofugal projections to inferior colliculus.
abstract: Defense against environmental threats is essential for animal survival. However, the neural circuits responsible for transforming unconditioned sensory stimuli and generating defensive behaviours remain largely unclear. Here, we show that corticofugal neurons in the auditory cortex (ACx) targeting the inferior colliculus (IC) mediate an innate, sound-induced flight behaviour. Optogenetic activation of these neurons, or their projection terminals in the IC, is sufficient for initiating flight responses, while the inhibition of these projections reduces sound-induced flight responses. Corticocollicular axons monosynaptically innervate neurons in the cortex of the IC (ICx), and optogenetic activation of the projections from the ICx to the dorsal periaqueductal gray is sufficient for provoking flight behaviours. Our results suggest that ACx can both amplify innate acoustic-motor responses and directly drive flight behaviours in the absence of sound input through corticocollicular projections to ICx. Such corticofugal control may be a general feature of innate defense circuits across sensory modalities.
authors.affiliation: 1] Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA [2] Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaorui R
authors.identifier: 0000000178384524
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: 1] Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA [2] Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
authors.forename: Feixue
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: 1] Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA [2] Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zingg
authors.affiliation: 1] Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA [2] Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
authors.forename: Xu-ying
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: 1] Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA [2] Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Leena A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.affiliation: 1] Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA [2] Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Huizhong W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: 1] Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA [2] Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Li I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D005260:Female; D007245:Inferior Colliculi / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL