The amygdala plays key roles in fear and anxiety. Studies of the amygdala have largely focused on neuronal function and connectivity. Astrocytes functionally interact with neurons, but their role in the amygdala remains largely unknown. We show that astrocytes in the medial subdivision of the central amygdala (CeM) determine the synaptic and behavioral outputs of amygdala circuits. To investigate the role of astrocytes in amygdala-related behavior and identify the underlying synaptic mechanisms, we used exogenous or endogenous signaling to selectively activate CeM astrocytes. Astrocytes depressed excitatory synapses from basolateral amygdala via A₁ adenosine receptor activation and enhanced inhibitory synapses from the lateral subdivision of the central amygdala via A_2A receptor activation. Furthermore, astrocytic activation decreased the firing rate of CeM neurons and reduced fear expression in a fear-conditioning paradigm. Therefore, we conclude that astrocyte activity determines fear responses by selectively regulating specific synapses, which indicates that animal behavior results from the coordinated activity of neurons and astrocytes.

中文翻译：

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突触特异性星形胶质细胞门控的杏仁核相关行为。

杏仁核在恐惧和焦虑中起关键作用。杏仁核的研究主要集中在神经元功能和连通性上。星形胶质细胞在功能上与神经元相互作用，但是它们在杏仁核中的作用仍然未知。我们显示星形胶质细胞在中央杏仁核（CeM）的内侧细分确定杏仁核电路的突触和行为输出。为了研究星形胶质细胞在杏仁核相关行为中的作用并确定潜在的突触机制，我们使用外源或内源性信号传导选择性激活CeM星形胶质细胞。星形胶质细胞通过A ₁腺苷受体激活抑制了基底外侧杏仁核的兴奋性突触，并通过A _2A增强了中央杏仁核外侧区的抑制性突触。受体激活。此外，星形细胞激活降低了恐惧条件范式中CeM神经元的放电速度并降低了恐惧表达。因此，我们得出的结论是，星形胶质细胞的活动通过选择性调节特定的突触来决定恐惧反应，这表明动物行为是神经元和星形胶质细胞协调活动的结果。