Molecular brake on firing pattern transitions in MHbChAT neurons to mediate nicotine-withdrawal-induced anxiety - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #Cholinergic Neurons
- #Firing Patterns
- #Nicotine Withdrawal Anxiety
- MHbChAT neurons shift from tonic to burst firing during nicotine withdrawal, triggering anxiety-like behaviors in mice.
- Pumilio 1 (Pum1) acts as a molecular brake by binding to Cacna1g mRNA, promoting its decay to prevent Cav3.1 accumulation.
- Nicotine withdrawal reduces Pum1, allowing Cav3.1 upregulation and inducing burst firing.
- Two subpopulations exist: Pum1- neurons show burst firing, while Pum1+ neurons maintain tonic firing.
- Suppressing Cav3.1 or overexpressing Pum1 rescues normal firing and reduces anxiety-like behaviors, offering potential therapeutic targets.