cFos is one of the most widely-studied genes in the field of neuroscience. Currently, there is no systematic database focusing on cFos in neuroscience. We developed a curated database—cFos-ANAB—a cFos-based web tool for exploring activated neurons and associated behaviors in rats and mice, comprising 398 brain nuclei and sub-nuclei, and five associated behaviors: pain, fear, feeding, aggression, and sexual behavior. Direct relationships among behaviors and nuclei (even cell types) under specific stimulating conditions were constructed based on cFos expression profiles extracted from original publications. Moreover, overlapping nuclei and sub-nuclei with potentially complex functions among different associated behaviors were emphasized, leading to results serving as important clues to the development of valid hypotheses for exploring as yet unknown circuits. Using the analysis function of cFos-ANAB, multi-layered pictures of networks and their relationships can quickly be explored depending on users’ purposes. These features provide a useful tool and good reference for early exploration in neuroscience. The cFos-ANAB database is available at www.cfos-db.net.

cFos是神经科学领域研究最广泛的基因之一。目前，在神经科学中还没有专注于 cFos 的系统数据库。我们开发了一个精选数据库——cFos-ANAB——一个基于 cFos 的网络工具，用于探索大鼠和小鼠的激活神经元和相关行为，包括 398 个脑核和亚核，以及五种相关行为：疼痛、恐惧、进食、攻击、和性行为。基于从原始出版物中提取的 cFos 表达谱构建特定刺激条件下行为和细胞核（甚至细胞类型）之间的直接关系。此外，强调了在不同相关行为中具有潜在复杂功能的重叠核和亚核，导致结果作为开发有效假设以探索未知电路的重要线索。使用 cFos-ANAB 的分析功能，可以根据用户的目的快速探索网络及其关系的多层图片。这些特征为神经科学的早期探索提供了有用的工具和良好的参考。cFos-ANAB 数据库可在 www.cfos-db.net 获得。