Basolateral amygdala astrocytes encode anxiety states

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) has been implicated in threat detection and the generation of anxiety states. While previous experiments have demonstrated the important role of BLA principal neurons in driving anxiety-related behaviors, population-level recordings suggest that principal neurons encode exploratory states rather than anxiety per se. This discrepancy raises the question of whether anxiety is indeed represented within the BLA. Here, using simultaneous in vivo calcium recordings in BLA astrocytes and principal neurons, we find that, in contrast to neurons, astrocyte activity provides a stable and scalable representation of anxiety states across an array of behavioral tasks. We show that driving BLA…

• FB
  Fondation Brain Canada
• CB
  Canadian Bee Research Fund
• GO
  Government of Canada
• AF
  Azrieli Foundation
• HC
  Health Canada
• CI
  Canadian Institutes of Health Research

  Award: 478629
• NS
  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

  Award: RGPIN-2021-03211
• FD
  Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé

  Awards: Junior 2, 309889
• IO
  Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction