Interaction between stress and serotonergic signaling pathways to modulate extinction learning in the amygdala (A07)

• Subject Area: Cognitive, Systems and Behavioural Neurobiology
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 316803389

Despite the higher prevalence of stress-related disorders in females, preclinical studies have predominantly focused on male mice. Most research on serotonin and fear conditioning has been conducted exclusively in males, with little consideration of sex differences. To address this gap, the project aims to explore the complex functional interactions between the 5-HT2CR and other brain systems involved in serotonin-related psychopathologies in both male and female mice. Specifically, we seek to determine how the neural networks contributing to fear extinction learning differ between sexes and how individual serotonin receptors influence this process. To investigate the neuroanatomical and neurochemical correlates underlying sex-dependent serotonergic modulation of conditioned fear, we will employ our opto- and chemogenetic toolbox. This will include novel tracing techniques, enhanced activity sensors, and cell-type-specific control of GPCR pathways in behaving animals. Our methodological approach will range from single-cell activity analysis to functional connectivity mapping, conducted in close collaboration with projects of the SFB.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1280: Extinction Learning
• Applicant Institution: Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Stefan Herlitze; Dr. Katharina Spoida