Oxytocin receptor neurons in the paraventricular thalamus as a nexus for social behaviour and fear - PubMed
5 hours ago
- #oxytocin
- #fear-extinction
- #neural-circuits
- Oxytocin receptor neurons in the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) play a key role in social behavior and fear-related responses.
- Bidirectional manipulation of OTR-expressing PVT neurons in mice affects sociability and fear extinction.
- Inhibition of these neurons impairs sociability and fear extinction, while activation enhances early extinction learning.
- Oxytocin increases tonic firing in PVT neurons, suggesting a mechanism for heightened excitability.
- OTR-expressing neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex do not influence sociability.
- Human studies show a modest link between salivary oxytocin levels, thalamic microstructure, and autism spectrum disorder traits.
- Findings may have implications for treating psychiatric conditions like autism and anxiety.