Sensory Detection of Aversive and Appetitive Stimuli by CRF neurons

Abstract

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), which is released from the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, is essential for mediating stress response by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. CRF-releasing PVN neurons receive inputs from multiple brain regions that convey stressful events, but their rapid neuronal dynamics on the timescale of behavior remain unknown. Here, our optical recordings of PVN CRF neuronal activity in freely behaving mice revealed that PVN CRF neurons are activated immediately by a range of stress-inducing aversive stimuli, including predator odor. By contrast, CRF neuronal activity starts to drop within a second of exposure to appetitive stimuli, such as food. These findings suggest that PVN CRF neurons receive real-time information about aversive and appetitive stimuli. Their role in mediating the sensory detection and regulating the neuroendocrine axis resembles those of AgRP/NPY neurons and SFO neurons that regulate neurophysiology responses and mediate sensory detection of food and water.