Multisensory integration in the mouse ventral visual thalamus mediates stress coping via locus coeruleus-related...

Adaptive stress responses, evolutionarily conserved survival mechanisms, enable organisms to flexibly navigate environmental challenges. However, the neural circuits translating sensory salience into adaptive behavioral strategies remain poorly characterized. Here, we redefine the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus/intergeniculate leaflet (vLGN/IGL)-a thalamic region traditionally confined to visual processing-as a multimodal hub orchestrating stress resilience. We demonstrate that vLGN/IGL neurons dynamically encode both aversive stressors (e.g., footshocks) and neutral novelty (e.g., auditory tones), driven by locus coeruleus (LC) glutamatergic inputs co-releasing norepinephrine. Silencing this LC-vLGN/IGL pathway impaired stress coping and amplified depressive-like vulnerability, whereas its activation enhanced resilience. Strikingly, chronic exposure to an enriched environment-leveraging vLGN/IGL's novelty sensitivity-promoted adaptive behaviors through LC-driven glutamate signaling, contingent on intact circuit function. Our findings unveil the LC-vLGN/IGL axis/pathway as a critical nexus where sensory salience is translated into behavioral adaptation, offering circuit-level insights for targeted interventions in stress-related disorders.