Cross-modal enhancement of defensive behavior via parabigemino-collicular projections.
Curr Biol
; 34(16): 3616-3631.e5, 2024 Aug 19.
Article
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| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39019036
ABSTRACT
Effective detection and avoidance from environmental threats are crucial for animals' survival. Integration of sensory cues associated with threats across different modalities can significantly enhance animals' detection and behavioral responses. However, the neural circuit-level mechanisms underlying the modulation of defensive behavior or fear response under simultaneous multimodal sensory inputs remain poorly understood. Here, we report in mice that bimodal looming stimuli combining coherent visual and auditory signals elicit more robust defensive/fear reactions than unimodal stimuli. These include intensified escape and prolonged hiding, suggesting a heightened defensive/fear state. These various responses depend on the activity of the superior colliculus (SC), while its downstream nucleus, the parabigeminal nucleus (PBG), predominantly influences the duration of hiding behavior. PBG temporally integrates visual and auditory signals and enhances the salience of threat signals by amplifying SC sensory responses through its feedback projection to the visual layer of the SC. Our results suggest an evolutionarily conserved pathway in defense circuits for multisensory integration and cross-modality enhancement.
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1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Colículos Superiores
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Miedo
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Curr Biol
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos