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Updated: Nov 2, 2025

Ex Vivo Optogenetic Dissection of Fear Circuits in Brain Slices
Published on: April 5, 2016
Central amygdala circuitry modulates nociceptive processing through differential hierarchical interaction with
Isabel Wank1, Pinelopi Pliota2, Sylvia Badurek3
1Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Abstract:
The central amygdala (CE) emerges as a critical node for affective processing. However, how CE local circuitry interacts with brain wide affective states is yet uncharted. Using basic nociception as proxy, we find that gene expression suggests diverging roles of the two major CE neuronal populations, protein kinase C δ-expressing (PKCδ+) and somatostatin-expressing (SST+) cells. Optogenetic (o)fMRI demonstrates that PKCδ+/SST+ circuits engage specific separable functional subnetworks to modulate global brain dynamics by a differential bottom-up vs. top-down hierarchical mesoscale mechanism. This diverging modulation impacts on nocifensive behavior and may underly CE control of affective processing.
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