GAMMA OSCILLATIONS IN THE BASOLATERAL AMYGDALA COORDINATE MICROCIRCUIT FUNCTION
Tarih:
Konum: A116
Principal basolateral amygdala (BL) neurons fire at very low rates, yet profoundly influence behavior. This may be achieved by synchronizing the discharges of individual neurons. Since gamma oscillations are known to promote neuronal synchrony, we characterized their cellular and behavioral correlates in the BL nucleus. High-gamma (75-95 Hz) was most pronounced when rats were apprehensive and it entrained BL firing more strongly than all other rhythms. Principal cells preferentially fired during the trough of high-gamma, followed by fast-spiking interneurons. Relative to behavioral states, high-gamma produced minor changes in firing rates but dramatic increases in synchrony. Moreover, connected pairs of cells showed similarly high levels of entrainment. Unexpectedly, the entrainment of principal cells varied depending on their projection site: prefrontal- and accumbens-projecting cells respectively showed high and low phase-locking. Thus, high-gamma differentially synchronizes the activity of BL neurons projecting to specific sites while having a marginal impact on their firing rates.
Dr. Alon Amir
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey