2024
Medial prefrontal cortex acetylcholine signaling mediates the ability to learn an active avoidance response following learned helplessness training
Abdulla Z, Mineur Y, Crouse R, Etherington I, Yousuf H, Na J, Picciotto M. Medial prefrontal cortex acetylcholine signaling mediates the ability to learn an active avoidance response following learned helplessness training. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024, 1-9. PMID: 39362985, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-02003-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMedial prefrontal cortexACh levelsInescapable stressorEscape performanceExposure to inescapable stressorsAcetylcholine signalingLearned helplessness taskLearned helplessness trainingStress-related circuitsActive avoidance taskActive avoidance testActive avoidance responseElevation of acetylcholineIncreased ACh levelsStress-related behaviorsImpaired escape performanceIncreased brain levelsTop-down controlHelplessness trainingPrefrontal cortexAvoidance taskChemogenetic inhibitionMaladaptive behaviorsAvoidance testNegative encodingFunctionally refined encoding of threat memory by distinct populations of basal forebrain cholinergic projection neurons
Rajebhosale P, Ananth M, Kim R, Crouse R, Jiang L, López-Hernández G, Zhong C, Arty C, Wang S, Jone A, Desai N, Li Y, Picciotto M, Role L, Talmage D. Functionally refined encoding of threat memory by distinct populations of basal forebrain cholinergic projection neurons. ELife 2024, 13: e86581. PMID: 38363713, PMCID: PMC10928508, DOI: 10.7554/elife.86581.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBasolateral amygdalaCholinergic neuronsThreatening stimuliMemory recallPredator odorDefensive behaviorResponse to predator odorBasal forebrain cholinergic projection neuronsBasal forebrain of micePosterior substantia innominataForebrain of miceSource of cholinergic inputCholinergic basal forebrainIncreased intrinsic excitabilityCholinergic projection neuronsThreat memoryFoot shockAversive stimuliChemogenetic silencingCholinergic inputSubstantia innominataPopulation of cholinergic neuronsNucleus basalisIntrinsic excitabilityProjection neurons
2022
Muscarinic antagonists impair multiple aspects of operant discrimination learning and performance
Yousuf H, Girardi E, Crouse R, Picciotto M. Muscarinic antagonists impair multiple aspects of operant discrimination learning and performance. Neuroscience Letters 2022, 794: 137025. PMID: 36529388, PMCID: PMC9812939, DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.137025.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOperant discriminationOperant discrimination learningCue-reward associationsLong-term memoryMultiple training sessionsPost-session injectionsCue associationsReward-related respondingMemory processesDiscrimination learningMaladaptive formsImpaired consolidationFood rewardSuccessful learningNose pokesDifferent learningPre-session injectionsTraining sessionsRewardTaskMemoryLearningMultiple aspectsEnvironmental cuesMuscarinic acetylcholine receptor familyHippocampal acetylcholine modulates stress-related behaviors independent of specific cholinergic inputs
Mineur YS, Mose TN, Vanopdenbosch L, Etherington IM, Ogbejesi C, Islam A, Pineda CM, Crouse RB, Zhou W, Thompson DC, Bentham MP, Picciotto MR. Hippocampal acetylcholine modulates stress-related behaviors independent of specific cholinergic inputs. Molecular Psychiatry 2022, 27: 1829-1838. PMID: 34997190, PMCID: PMC9106825, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01404-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsStress-related behaviorsCholinergic inputMedial septum/diagonal bandBehavioral effectsBrain ACh levelsChAT-positive neuronsSelective chemogenetic activationMuscarinic ACh receptorsDepression-like symptomsSignificant behavioral effectsHippocampal acetylcholineMaladaptive behavioral responsesAntidepressant effectsCholinergic neuronsACh releaseChemogenetic activationChemogenetic inhibitionCholinergic antagonistsLocal infusionAcetylcholine levelsACh levelsDiagonal bandACh receptorsHippocampal neuronsPharmacological approaches
2020
Flipped Science Fair: Engaging Middle-School Students in STEM while Training Researchers in Science Communication.
Benedetti L, Crouse R. Flipped Science Fair: Engaging Middle-School Students in STEM while Training Researchers in Science Communication. The Journal Of STEM Outreach 2020, 3 PMID: 33718806, PMCID: PMC7951179, DOI: 10.15695/jstem/v3i1.10.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMiddle school studentsMiddle school levelScience communication trainingSmall group settingsScience communicationStudent trajectoriesSchool studentsScience fairScience engagementStudentsCollege educationEarly career scientistsTraining researchersPublic speakingMore opportunitiesCommunication trainingGroup settingCareer scientistsResearch messagesEngagementOpportunitiesBroad audienceSciencePresentersPublic engagementAcetylcholine is released in the basolateral amygdala in response to predictors of reward and enhances learning of cue-reward contingency
Crouse RB, Kim K, Batchelor HM, Girardi EM, Kamaletdinova R, Chan J, Rajebhosale P, Pittenger ST, Role LW, Talmage DA, Jing M, Li Y, Gao XB, Mineur YS, Picciotto MR. Acetylcholine is released in the basolateral amygdala in response to predictors of reward and enhances learning of cue-reward contingency. ELife 2020, 9: e57335. PMID: 32945260, PMCID: PMC7529459, DOI: 10.7554/elife.57335.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBasolateral amygdalaCue-reward learningActivity of neuronsReward-related eventsNucleus basalisBLA responsesACh levelsPredictors of rewardTerminal fibersNeuron activityReward-predictive cuesCalcium indicatorsAChNeutral cuesEmotional stimuliAversive stimuliReward retrievalTask acquisitionAmygdalaSalient eventsMiceACh sensorTerminal activityQuick acquisitionCues