JOURNAL ARTICLE

A prefrontal–habenular circuitry regulates social fear behaviour.

  • Published In: Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 2024, v. 147, n. 12. P. 4185 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Tian, Yuanyuan; Zheng, Junqiang; Zhu, Xiao; Liu, Xue; Li, Haoyang; Wang, Jun; Yang, Qian; Zeng, Ling-Hui; Shi, Zhiguo; Gong, Mengyuan; Hu, Yuzheng; Xu, Han 3 of 3

Abstract

This article focuses on the role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to lateral habenula (LHb) neural pathway in regulating social fear behavior. Using a social fear conditioning paradigm in mice, the study demonstrates that LHb neurons and LHb-projecting mPFC neurons are synchronously activated during social fear expression, and optogenetic inhibition of the mPFC–LHb projection reduces social fear responses. Complementary human resting-state functional MRI data reveal that increased prefrontal–habenular functional connectivity correlates with higher social anxiety traits in subclinical individuals. These findings suggest that the prefrontal–habenular circuitry plays a causal role in social fear regulation and may represent a potential therapeutic target for social fear symptoms observed in psychiatric disorders.

Additional Information

  • Source:Brain: A Journal of Neurology. 2024/12, Vol. 147, Issue 12, p4185
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Psychology
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:0006-8950
  • DOI:10.1093/brain/awae209
  • Accession Number:181971137
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