Specific Targeting of the Basolateral Amygdala to Projectionally Defined Pyramidal Neurons in Prelimbic and Infralimbic Cortex.

Adjacent prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) regions in the medial prefrontal cortex have distinct roles in emotional learning. A complete mechanistic understanding underlying this dichotomy remains unclear. Here we explored targeting of specific PL and IL neurons by the basolateral amygdala (BLA), a limbic structure pivotal in pain and fear processing.

Highly differentiated cellular and circuit properties of infralimbic pyramidal neurons projecting to the periaqueductal gray and amygdala.

The infralimbic (IL) cortex is a key node in an inter-connected network involved in fear and emotion processing. The cellular and circuit-level mechanisms whereby IL neurons receive, filter, and modulate incoming signals they project onward to diverse downstream nodes in this complex network remain poorly understood. Using the mouse as our model, we applied anatomical labeling strategies, brain slice electrophysiology, and focal activation of caged glutamate via laser scanning photostimulation (glu-LSPS) for quantitative neurophysiological analysis of projectionally defined neurons in IL.

Probing NMDA receptor GluN2A and GluN2B subunit expression and distribution in cortical neurons.

The spatial distribution of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunits in layer 5 (L5) neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is important for integrating input-output signals involved in cognitive functions and motor behavior. In this study, focal laser scanning photostimulation of caged glutamate, slice electrophysiology, and small peptide pharmacology, were used to map the distribution of functional GluN2A and GluN2B subunits of the NMDAR from L5 neurons of wild-type (WT) and GluN2A(-/-) mice. Focal uncaging of glutamate evoked spatially-restricted glutamatergic responses on various dendritic locations of pyramidal neurons in the mPFC.