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Song D, Wang C, Jin Y, Deng Y, Yan Y, Wang D, Zhu Z, Ke Z, Wang Z, Wu Y, Ni J, Qing H, Quan Z. Mediodorsal thalamus-projecting anterior cingulate cortex neurons modulate helping behavior in mice. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4330-4342.e5. [PMID: 37734375 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Many species living in groups can perform prosocial behaviors via voluntarily helping others with or without benefits for themselves. To provide a better understanding of the neural basis of such prosocial behaviors, we adapted a preference lever-switching task in which mice can prevent harm to others by switching from using a lever that causes shocks to a conspecific one that does not. We found the harm avoidance behavior was mediated by self-experience and visual and social contact but not by gender or familiarity. By combining single-unit recordings and analysis of neural trajectory decoding, we demonstrated the dynamics of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) neural activity changes synchronously with the harm avoidance performance of mice. In addition, ACC neurons projected to the mediodorsal thalamus (MDL) to modulate the harm avoidance behavior. Optogenetic activation of the ACC-MDL circuit during non-preferred lever pressing (nPLP) and inhibition of this circuit during preferred lever pressing (PLP) both resulted in the loss of harm avoidance ability. This study revealed the ACC-MDL circuit modulates prosocial behavior to avoid harm to conspecifics and may shed light on the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders with dysfunction of prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Song
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Chunjian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yue Jin
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yujun Deng
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yan Yan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Deheng Wang
- School of Basic Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Zilu Zhu
- School of Basic Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Zunji Ke
- School of Basic Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection and The National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disease, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Yili Wu
- Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, School of Mental Health, Institute of Aging, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
| | - Junjun Ni
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Hong Qing
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; Department of Biology, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Shenzhen 518172, China.
| | - Zhenzhen Quan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
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