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Title: The thalamic nucleus reuniens mediates the transition from reactive to proactive defensive behavior via feedforward inhibition

Award Number: R03MH128654
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Life often requires us to be proactive in the face of danger. When crossing the road, the adaptive response to the horn of an oncoming care is to cross to the other side as quickly as possible. Yet fear can have an immobilizing effect, creating a paradoxical situation in which a deeply engrained defense against danger must be suppressed in order to achieve safety. Thus, adaptive coping in a complex environment necessitates the ability to move past defensive reactions in favor of proactive, problem- solving behavioral strategies. Signaled active avoidance (SAA) is a behavioral conditioning paradigm that effectively models the process by which a learned, problem-solving action replaces the innate reactions elicited by a threatening cue. Past work suggests that the nucleus reuniens of the midline thalamus plays a crucial role in this process, acting to suppress immobilizing responses in favor of an adaptive behavioral strategy that prevents an aversive outcome. Work proposed here will extend this finding by using chemogenetic techniques to target the crucial outputs of the reuniens that function to suppress freezing and facilitate active avoidance. Our primary hypothesis is that projections from the nucleus reuniens engage feedforward inhibition by activating inhibitory interneurons in limbic regions, such as the ventral hippocampus and the basolateral amygdala, that mediate the expression of aversive associative memory and thus conditioned freezing. Successful execution of the proposed studies will establish an important neural mechanism that promotes behavioral flexibility and adaptive problem solving under threat. A proactive style of coping is associated with an internal locus of control and resilience, suggesting the mental health relevance of its underlying circuitry. By dissecting the function of this pathway, our goal is to generate preclinical data that hastens clinical advancement by providing targets for cutting-edge therapeutic innovations.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = -$140 )
2024	2023	TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY	400 HARVEY MITCHELL PKY S STE 300	COLLEGE STATION	TX	77845	BRAZOS	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	4/12/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$140
														Subtotal = -$140

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $71,525 )
2023	2023	TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY	400 HARVEY MITCHELL PKY S STE 300	COLLEGE STATION	TX	77845	BRAZOS	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	2	2/23/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$7,152
2023	2023	TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY	400 HARVEY MITCHELL PKY S STE 300	COLLEGE STATION	TX	77845	BRAZOS	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	11/8/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$64,373
														Subtotal = $71,525

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $71,727 )
2022	2022	TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY	400 HARVEY MITCHELL PKY S STE 300	COLLEGE STATION	TX	77845	BRAZOS	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	12/9/2021	NEW	$71,727
														Subtotal = $71,727

Grand Total All Awards = $143,112

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Title: The thalamic nucleus reuniens mediates the transition from reactive to proactive defensive behavior via feedforward inhibition

Award Number: R03MH128654

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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