Chemogenetic Stimulation and Silencing of the Insula, Amygdala, Nucleus Accumbens, and Their Connections Differentially Modulate Alcohol Drinking in Rats

AI (Agranular insular area) UBERON:0034893 projects to ACB (Nucleus accumbens) UBERON:0001882 · Rat

Retrograde AAV2-retro tracer in the accumbens core labelled neurons concentrated in dorsal and ventral agranular anterior insula (layers II and V), representing 64% of the labelled accumbens-projecting insular neurons; retrograde Cre injected into the core also drove projection-specific DREADD expression in insular neurons.

Figs. 5D–F; Fig. 4C

Made by an AI model reading the paper (claude-opus-5, extract@0.3.0); a second AI model (claude-opus-5) agrees.

AI (Agranular insular area) UBERON:0034893 projects to BLA (basal amygdaloid nucleus) UBERON:0002887 · Rat

A retrograde AAV2-retro tracer injected into the basolateral amygdala labelled neurons in the anterior agranular insula; these accounted for 34% of the labelled amygdala-projecting insular neurons. Projection-specific DREADD expression using retrograde Cre injected into the BLA also demonstrated this insula-to-BLA pathway.

Figs. 5A–C; Fig. 4B

Made by an AI model reading the paper (claude-opus-5, extract@0.3.0); a second AI model (claude-opus-5) agrees.

AI (Agranular insular area) UBERON:0034893 projects to CEA (central amygdaloid nucleus) UBERON:0002883 · Rat

AAV2-retro vectors placed in the central amygdala retrogradely labelled neurons in the anterior agranular insula, mostly in layers II and V, with these cells making up 58% of the labelled amygdala-projecting insular population and being more numerous in the ventral agranular insula. The same projection was targeted by injecting a retrograde Cre vector into the central amygdala together with Cre-dependent DREADD vectors in the insula.

Figs. 5A–C; Fig. 4A

Made by an AI model reading the paper (claude-opus-5, extract@0.3.0); a second AI model (claude-opus-5) agrees.

AI (Agranular insular area) UBERON:0034893 projects to ACB (Nucleus accumbens) UBERON:0001882 · Rat

A retrograde AAV2-retro vector injected into the accumbens shell labelled anterior agranular insular neurons with a distribution similar to the core-projecting population; shell-projecting cells comprised 29% of the labelled neurons.

Figs. 5D–F

Made by an AI model reading the paper (claude-opus-5, extract@0.3.0); a second AI model (claude-opus-5) agrees.