The role of amygdala GABA neurons in controlling stress and reproduction in female mice

MEA (Medial amygdalar nucleus) MBA:403 functionally connects to MEA GABAergic neurons nt-bqdbjsy396 · Mouse

In UCN3-Cre::VGAT-Flpo mice expressing Chrimson in MePD UCN3 neurons and GCaMP6s in MePD GABA neurons, pulsed 10 Hz optogenetic activation of the UCN3 cells (with UCN3-co-expressing GABA cells removed from analysis) changed the calcium activity and pairwise correlation structure of the GABA population relative to baseline and to non-opsin controls, splitting GABA cells into two anti-correlated clusters; 5 Hz stimulation produced no significant change while 10 Hz did.

Fig. 1A, H–K; Fig. 2A, B

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MEA (Medial amygdalar nucleus) MBA:403 functionally connects to ARH (Arcuate hypothalamic nucleus) MBA:223 · Mouse

Selective 10 Hz activation of MePD UCN3 neurons that do not express GABA increased the LH inter-pulse interval (15.47 ± 0.91 min before versus 23.75 ± 1.07 min during stimulation, n = 6), with no change in no-stimulation or control-virus groups; the same stimulation combined with optogenetic silencing of non-UCN3 MePD GABA neurons no longer altered LH pulse interval, indicating the effect on the pulse generator requires MePD GABA neurons.

Fig. 5A–D; Fig. 6H–J

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MEA (Medial amygdalar nucleus) MBA:403 functionally connects to ARH (Arcuate hypothalamic nucleus) MBA:223 · Mouse

Selective 10 Hz activation of MePD neurons co-expressing UCN3 and GABA did not change the LH inter-pulse interval compared with the control period (n = 6), and the matched no-stimulation cohort also showed no change, so this subpopulation alone did not influence the GnRH pulse generator output.

Fig. 5H–J

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MEA GABAergic neurons nt-bqdbjsy396 functionally connects to ARH (Arcuate hypothalamic nucleus) MBA:223 · Mouse

Optogenetic activation of the whole MePD GABA population in VGAT-Cre mice expressing ChR2 lengthened the LH inter-pulse interval (about 18.5 min before versus 49.5 min during stimulation, n = 5), whereas no-stimulation and control-virus groups showed no change, indicating that MePD GABA neuron activity suppresses the arcuate GnRH pulse generator that drives LH pulses.

Fig. 6A–D

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