GABAergic Neurons Correlate to Auditory-Induced Stress Behavior in Mice

Overview

Studies have found that sugar and fat can reduce the activity of the HPA axis and this is why people overeat when under a lot of stress (Mills et al., 2020). The HPA axis is regulated by the corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) (Mody & Maguire, 2012). However, CRH is mostly inhibited by GABAergic inputs (Mody & Maguire, 2012), making the HPA axis mostly regulated by GABA. The ventral pallidum (VP) plays a key role in how we experience food pleasure and motivation to eat (Berridge et al., 2010). It contains GABAergic neurons, influencing appetite and the brain's reward system. The VP also has a "hedonic hotspot," which can enhance how much we enjoy food and help regulate normal levels of food pleasure (Berridge et al., 2010). Using fiber photometry and different stimuli, our hope is to better understand the role of GABAergic neurons during eating sessions and stressful situations caused by auditory stress. In this experiment we found that on the behavioral aspect, the average approach to the sweet reward decreases after the stressful stimuli is turned on, but it stays the same during the aftermath and how the average approach to the water increases as the time goes on. However, individually, each animal had a different reaction to the stimuli. We also found that when it comes to consumption, animals also had a different reaction to the sweet rewards. Also, when it comes to anticipation or in response to consumption, the bitter reward had the highest excitatory response.