Presentation description

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) of the brain is traditionally known for its involvement in motivation, in recent literature there has been a shift in focus to social motivation. The bed nucleus stria terminalis (BNST) region of the brain is associated with sustained fear and neurons of this region play an important role in anxiety pathways. Neurons of the BNST project to those in the nucleus accumbens, creating neural pathways that extend through both regions. It is unknown how necessary functionally and anatomically BNST projections to the NAc are for social anxiety behaviors to be displayed in mice who have experienced long-term isolation or been group housed with other mice. Through dual virus injections that target BNST to NAc projections, using a chemogenetic approach, BNST neurons that project to the NAc will be silenced. Original behavioral experimentation, called Selective Access to Unrestricted Social Interaction (SAUSI), can then reveal the presentation (or lack) of the social anxiety phenotype in mice whose BNST to NAc neurons have been silenced. The necessity of the targeted neural pathway for the presence of social anxiety behaviors can then be analyzed and evaluated.