In a groundbreaking study, Israeli researchers at the University of Haifa have uncovered how traumatic experiences can permanently alter the brains of mice, making them more likely to perceive previously harmless stimuli as threats. Published in Nature Communications, these findings could pave the way for improved trauma diagnoses and innovative treatment techniques.
The research involved subjecting male mice to a shock and observing their behavior long after the traumatic event. The mice exposed to the shock began to escape more frequently and sooner when encountering stimuli that were initially non-threatening. This heightened escape behavior persisted well beyond the original trauma.
Using advanced light-controlled neuron activation, the team traced these behavioral changes to a specific group of neurons in the superior colliculus (SC), a critical subcortical structure responsible for managing escape responses in mice.
Further investigation revealed that the SC neurons receive input from neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). These mPFC neurons play a pivotal role in initiating escape behaviors in response to perceived threats. The study found that traumatic experiences cause lasting alterations in these mPFC neurons, making them more likely to activate the escape response earlier via the SC neurons.
Remarkably, the researchers demonstrated that activating this neural pathway in non-traumatized mice was sufficient to trigger a safety response, underscoring the critical role of these neurons in processing trauma-related stimuli.
These insights not only deepen our understanding of how trauma affects the brain but also hold promise for developing new strategies to address trauma-related disorders in humans.
Reference(s):
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