Hypothalamic CRH neurons orchestrate complex behaviours after stress.
All organisms possess innate behavioural and physiological programmes that ensure survival. In order to have maximum adaptive benefit, these programmes must be sufficiently flexible to account for changes in the environment. Here we show that hypothalamic CRH neurons orchestrate an environmentally flexible repertoire of behaviours that emerge after acute stress in mice. Optical silencing of CRH neurons disrupts the organization of individual behaviours after acute stress. These behavioural patterns shift according to the environment after stress, but this environmental sensitivity is blunted by activation of PVN CRH neurons. These findings provide evidence that PVN CRH cells are part of a previously unexplored circuit that matches precise behavioural patterns to environmental context following stress. Overactivity in this network in the absence of stress may contribute to environmental ambivalence, resulting in context-inappropriate behavioural strategies.
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1.
Tamás
T
Füzesi
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1.
Nuria
N
Daviu
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1.
Jaclyn I
JI
Wamsteeker Cusulin
Leslie Dan School of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, 144 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3M2.
Robert P
RP
Bonin
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1.
Jaideep S
JS
Bains
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D000075402:Channelrhodopsins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004597:Electroshock; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D046352:Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic / Q000502:physiology; D015870:Gene Expression; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006120:Grooming / Q000502:physiology; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D062308:Optogenetics; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological
D000075402:Channelrhodopsins; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone