Navigation Links
Caltech scientists describe the delicate balance in the brain that controls fear
Date:11/10/2010

dala during exposure to fear-inducing stimuli. Interestingly, they had found two types of neurons that responded in opposite ways to the fear-inducing stimulus: one type increased its activity, while the other type decreased its activity. Like Anderson, they had begun to think that these neurons formed a seesaw that controls fear output from the amygdala.

And so the two teams joined forces to determine whether the cells Lthi had been studying corresponded to the PKCδ+ and PKCδ− cells Anderson's lab had isolated. In what Anderson refers to as a "sophisticated experiment," the two teams performed electrophysiological recordings while simultaneously turning the PKCδ+ neurons on or off using a genetic method developed by Henry Lester, Caltech's Bren Professor of Biology.

The results of the experiment were "gratifyingly clear," says Anderson. The cells that decreased their activity in the face of fear-inducing stimuli clearly corresponded to the PKCδ+ neurons Anderson's lab had isolated, while those that increased their activity corresponded to the PKCδ− neurons.

"These results supported the hypothesis that PKCδ+ neurons were indeed at the opposite end of the seesaw from the one that the fear signal 'presses down' on, consistent with the finding that PKCδ+ neurons crimp the 'fear hose,'" says Anderson.

The marriage of molecular biology and electrophysiology created by the collaboration between Anderson's and Lthi's laboratories has revealed properties of the fear circuit that could not have been discovered in any other way, Anderson says. "The functional geography of the brain is organized like that of the world," he notes. "It's divided into continents, countries, states, towns and cities, neighborhoods and houses; the houses are analogous to the different types of neurons. Previously, it had only been possible to dissect the amygdala at the level of different towns, or of neighborhoods
'/>"/>

Contact: Jon Weiner
jrweiner@caltech.edu
626-395-3226
California Institute of Technology
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology news :

1. NIH awards $11.5 million for new Caltech-led membrane-protein center
2. Caltech chemists develop simple technique to visualize atomic-scale structures
3. Fruit flies use horizontal landmarks for altitude control, says Caltech research team
4. Caltech: Gain and loss in optimistic versus pessimistic brains
5. Caltech biologists discover how T cells make a commitment
6. East-African human ancestors lived in hot environments, says Caltech-led team
7. Caltech-led team provides proof in humans of RNA interference using targeted nanoparticles
8. Caltech and UCSD scientists establish leech as model for study of reproductive behavior
9. Caltech receives more than $33 million from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
10. Caltech researchers presenting at AAAS Meeting
11. Caltech researchers obtain first brain recordings from behaving fruit flies
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/17/2013)... Efficient and Sustainable Global Logistics Operations) is aiming to ... efficiency of intermodal loading systems and the boosting of ... European organisations with experience in the logistics sector and ... 17,000,000 and a duration of three and a half ... the semantic components and ontologies shared by the users, ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... MD The Federation of American Societies for Experimental ... National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding trends highlighting the ... support critical research. The FASEB analysis follows a May ... Collins, MD, PhD, who testified that the $1.6 billion ... sequestration is "having a substantial impact on the scientific ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... Illustrating a commitment to the support of ... (AGA) Research Foundation has announced the inaugural AGA ... recipients. Supported by the National Institute of Diabetes ... award helps underrepresented minority students to further their ... , "By establishing this new award, AGA demonstrates ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):New logistics services that will cut energy consumption and CO2 emissions 2Underrepresented minority students receive fellowships in digestive disease and nutrition research 2
... Los Angeles, CAA researcher at Charles Drew University of Medicine ... yeast as a promising, natural therapy for cancer. Dr. ... special conference on "Cell Death Mechanism," sponsored by the American ... Hotel in San Diego. "The central focus of ...
... tested by the University of Oklahoma Health and Exercise ... calories as a 20-minute walk, according to Joel T. ... General Nutrition Centers contracted with OU to test the ... blend, which contains black pepper, caffeine and a concentrated ...
... (February 2, 2010) Pamphlets detailing the warning signs ... an unexpected location: your child,s pediatrician,s office. According to ... Prevention (CDC), one in five American teens has at ... adulthood. With heart health front-and-center this month in ...
Cached Biology News:Charles Drew cancer studies with yeast yield excellent results 2Lifestyle changes for teens critical in light of research about teens' heart disease risk 2
(Date:5/17/2013)... German . Photographers ... you can see which branch a bird is sitting on, ... the telephoto lens for high-magnification images requires considerable skill. It ... study proteins, the active biomolecules of cells. , Olga Schubert, ... Biology, and her colleagues have now come up with a ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... Cardiff, UK (PRWEB) May 17, 2013 ... by Photonics21 at the association’s recent annual ... others including EC Vice-President Neelie Kroes, who called the ... between sectors, and a stimulant to European innovation.” , ... the structure of the new Photonics PPP at its ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... May 17, 2013 New ... most innovative thought leaders of the medical device ... East conference and expo, from June 18-20 in ... (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130517/613829 ) , ... deliver industry professionals practical presentations and implementable solutions ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YONG ) ("Yongye" or ... crop nutrient products in the People,s Republic ... 16, 2013, the special committee (the "Special Committee") of ... provided a letter (the "Letter") issued by Abax Global ... to Full Alliance International Limited ("Full Alliance"). The Letter, ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Proteome atlas for the tuberculosis pathogen 2Proteome atlas for the tuberculosis pathogen 3SPIE Joins in Praise for ‘Huge Step Forward’ for Innovation R&D Enabled by Photonics21 Actions 2SPIE Joins in Praise for ‘Huge Step Forward’ for Innovation R&D Enabled by Photonics21 Actions 3MedTech Innovate Seminars: New Interactive Learning Forums at 2013 MD&M East 2Yongye International Provides Update on Status of Proposed Go Private Offer 2Yongye International Provides Update on Status of Proposed Go Private Offer 3Yongye International Provides Update on Status of Proposed Go Private Offer 4
... Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it ... therapeutic consisting of a mixture of three human ... irinotecan, at the 14th World Conference on Lung ... in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. (Logo: ...
... Dendreon Corporation (Nasdaq: DNDN ) today ... approved its Los Angeles cancer immunotherapy manufacturing facility, allowing ... PROVENGE ® (sipuleucel-T) across the U.S. to help ... symptomatic metastatic castrate resistant (hormone refractory) prostate cancer.   ...
... Branch Fund: A Thisbe and Noah Scott Legacy, an ... announced its first funding award to Kevin Eggan, Ph.D., ... Harvard University.  The award will support Dr. Eggan,s ongoing ... affect it.  Dr. Eggan is a leading researcher in ...
Cached Biology Technology:Merrimack Announces Presentation of Preclinical Data at the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer 2FDA Approves Dendreon's Los Angeles Cancer Immunotherapy Manufacturing Facility 2FDA Approves Dendreon's Los Angeles Cancer Immunotherapy Manufacturing Facility 3FDA Approves Dendreon's Los Angeles Cancer Immunotherapy Manufacturing Facility 4The Olive Branch Fund Announces Funding Award to Harvard Researcher 2
... purified Formulation: 50mM Tris-HCl, pH ... 0.2mM PMSF, 1mM benzamidine, 0.1% ... PP2A1 (Protein Phosphatase 2A1) partially ... sulfate precipitation, QSepharose,amino-hexyl agarose, Superdex ...
Borosilicate Glass. Certified for use with the Beacon 2000 Systems, 1,000 tubes/case...
...
... Immunogen : Recombinant human HMGN2/HMG-17 ... BSA, 0.15M NaCl, 0.05% sodium ... glycerol to 30% Quality Assurance: ... acid extracts of murine 10T ...
Biology Products: