Previous research has shown that different signaling pathways independently transmit danger signals from hearing, sight and feeling to multiple brain regions. A single signaling pathway that would bring all of these signals together would improve survivability, but no one had ever found such a signaling pathway.
The amygdala is the part of the brain that triggers responses to environmental and emotional stimuli (stimuli) and forms fear memories, and previous research had also shown that the amygdala gets a lot of input from areas of the brain that are full of a chemical associated with it. is with aversion, the neuropeptide CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide).
“Based on those two groups of studies, we hypothesized that CGRP neurons, which are primarily found in subregions of the thalamus and brainstem, transmit information about hazards from multiple senses to the amygdala,” said co-first author. Shijia Liu, a student in Han’s lab. “These circuits can both generate appropriate behavioral responses and help form aversive memories of danger signals.”