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Central amygdala circuits modulate food consumption through a positive-valence mechanism

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Authors: Amelia M Douglass, Hakan Kucukdereli, Marion Ponserre, Milica Markovic, Jan Gründemann, Cornelia Strobel, Pilar L Alcala Morales, Karl-Klaus Conzelmann, Andreas Lüthi, Rüdiger Klein
Publication: Nature Neuroscience
Date: August 21, 2017
Link to article: https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.4623

Abstract

The complex behaviors underlying reward seeking and consumption are integral to organism survival. The hypothalamus and mesolimbic dopamine system are key mediators of these behaviors, yet regulation of appetitive and consummatory behaviors outside of these regions is poorly understood. The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) has been implicated in feeding and reward, but the neurons and circuit mechanisms that positively regulate these behaviors remain unclear. Here, we defined the neuronal mechanisms by which CeA neurons promote food consumption. Using in vivo activity manipulations and Ca2+ imaging in mice, we found that GABAergic serotonin receptor 2a (Htr2a)-expressing CeA neurons modulate food consumption, promote positive reinforcement and are active in vivo during eating. We demonstrated electrophysiologically, anatomically and behaviorally that intra-CeA and long-range circuit mechanisms underlie these behaviors. Finally, we showed that CeAHtr2a neurons receive inputs from feeding-relevant brain regions. Our results illustrate how defined CeA neural circuits positively regulate food consumption.

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