Stimulation of an entorhinal-hippocampal extinction circuit facilitates fear extinction in a post-traumatic stress disorder model.

Effective psychotherapy of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains challenging owing to the fragile nature of fear extinction, for which the ventral hippocampal CA1 (vCA1) region is considered as a central hub. However, neither the core pathway nor the cellular mechanisms involved in implementing extinction are known. Here, we unveil a direct pathway, where layer 2a fan cells in the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) target parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PV-INs) in the vCA1 region to propel low-gamma-band synchronization of the LEC-vCA1 activity during extinction learning.

A thalamic nucleus reuniens-lateral septum-lateral hypothalamus circuit for comorbid anxiety-like behaviors in chronic itch.

Chronic itch often clinically coexists with anxiety symptoms, creating a vicious cycle of itch-anxiety comorbidities that are difficult to treat. However, the neuronal circuit mechanisms underlying the comorbidity of anxiety in chronic itch remain elusive. Here, we report anxiety-like behaviors in mouse models of chronic itch and identify γ-aminobutyric acid-releasing (GABAergic) neurons in the lateral septum (LS) as the key player in chronic itch-induced anxiety.

An ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine in thalamic nucleus reuniens undermines fear extinction via intermediation of hippocamposeptal circuits.

Benzodiazepines, commonly used for anxiolytics, hinder conditioned fear extinction, and the underlying circuit mechanisms are unclear. Utilizing remimazolam, an ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine, here we reveal its impact on the thalamic nucleus reuniens (RE) and interconnected hippocamposeptal circuits during fear extinction. Systemic or RE-specific administration of remimazolam impedes fear extinction by reducing RE activation through A type GABA receptors.

Photocatalysis Enables Visible-Light Uncaging of Bioactive Molecules in Live Cells.

The photo-manipulation of bioactive molecules provides unique advantages due to the high temporal and spatial precision of light. The first visible-light uncaging reaction by photocatalytic deboronative hydroxylation in live cells is now demonstrated. Using Fluorescein and Rhodamine derivatives as photocatalysts and ascorbates as reductants, transient hydrogen peroxides were generated from molecular oxygen to uncage phenol, alcohol, and amine functional groups on bioactive molecules in bacteria and mammalian cells, including neurons.

Fear extinction requires ASIC1a-dependent regulation of hippocampal-prefrontal correlates.

Extinction of conditioned fear necessitates the dynamic involvement of hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and basolateral amygdala (BLA), but key molecular players that regulate these circuits to achieve fear extinction remain largely unknown. Here, we report that acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is a crucial molecular regulator of fear extinction, and that this function requires ASIC1a in ventral hippocampus (vHPC), but not dorsal hippocampus, mPFC, or BLA. While genetic disruption or pharmacological inhibition of ASIC1a in vHPC attenuated the extinction of conditioned fear, overexpression of the channel in this area promoted fear extinction.

Quercetin Reduces Cortical GABAergic Transmission and Alleviates MK-801-Induced Hyperactivity.

An imbalance between neuronal excitation and inhibition represents a core feature in multiple neuropsychiatry disorders, necessitating the development of novel strategies to calibrate the excitatory-inhibitory balance of therapeutics. Here we identify a natural compound quercetin that reduces prefrontal cortical GABAergic transmission and alleviates the hyperactivity induced by glutamatergic N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist MK-801. Quercetin markedly reduced the GABA-activated currents in a noncompetitive manner in cultured cortical neurons, and moderately inhibited spontaneous and electrically-evoked GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic current in mouse prefrontal cortical slices.

Cloud point extraction with Triton X-114 for separation of metsulfuron-methyl, chlorsulfuron, and bensulfuron-methyl from water, soil, and rice and analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A new and efficient analytic methodology based on cloud point extraction (CPE) was developed for determination of pesticide residues of metsulfuron-methyl (MSM), chlorsulfuron (CS), and bensulfuron-methyl (BSM) in water, soil, and rice grain by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Multiple experimental conditions that affected CPE efficiency-including surfactant type and concentration, equilibration temperature and duration, ionic strength, and solution pH were identified. CPE conditions were optimized as follows: 1.