北京生命科学研究所曹鹏和河北医科大学张凡研究组合作发现，机械诱发的防御性攻击由下丘脑前核中的 GABA 能神经元控制。2022年1月3日出版的《自然—神经科学》杂志发表了这一最新研究成果。

他们表明，在不可避免的环境中有害的机械力是触发实验室小鼠防御性攻击的关键刺激。通过对下丘脑前核 (AHN) 中的 vGAT+ 神经元进行光抑制，可以消除机械诱发的防御性攻击。 vGAT+ AHN 神经元编码机械力的强度，并由与疼痛和攻击相关的大脑区域支配。这些神经元的激活触发了对捕食者的咬人攻击，同时抑制了正在进行的行为。从 vGAT+ AHN 神经元到导水管周围灰质的投射可能是参与机械诱发防御攻击的一种 AHN 通路。

总之，这些数据表明 vGAT+ AHN 神经元编码有害的机械刺激并调节小鼠的防御性攻击。

据悉，由环境威胁引发的先天防御行为对动物的生存很重要。在这些行为中，针对威胁性刺激（例如捕食者）的防御性攻击通常是最后一道防线。大脑如何调节防御性攻击仍然知之甚少。

附：英文原文

Title: Mechanically evoked defensive attack is controlled by GABAergic neurons in the anterior hypothalamic nucleus

Author: Xie, Zhiyong, Gu, Huating, Huang, Meizhu, Cheng, Xinyu, Shang, Congping, Tao, Ting, Li, Dapeng, Xie, Yuan, Zhao, Jidong, Lu, Wei, Zhang, Zhibin, Zhan, Cheng, Tang, Zongxiang, Zhang, Fan, Cao, Peng

Issue&Volume: 2022-01-03

Abstract: Innate defensive behaviors triggered by environmental threats are important for animal survival. Among these behaviors, defensive attack toward threatening stimuli (for example, predators) is often the last line of defense. How the brain regulates defensive attack remains poorly understood. Here we show that noxious mechanical force in an inescapable context is a key stimulus for triggering defensive attack in laboratory mice. Mechanically evoked defensive attacks were abrogated by photoinhibition of vGAT+ neurons in the anterior hypothalamic nucleus (AHN). The vGAT+ AHN neurons encoded the intensity of mechanical force and were innervated by brain areas relevant to pain and attack. Activation of these neurons triggered biting attacks toward a predator while suppressing ongoing behaviors. The projection from vGAT+ AHN neurons to the periaqueductal gray might be one AHN pathway participating in mechanically evoked defensive attack. Together, these data reveal that vGAT+ AHN neurons encode noxious mechanical stimuli and regulate defensive attack in mice. Xie et al. report that GABAergic neurons in the anterior hypothalamic nucleus control mechanically evoked defensive attack, an important survival behavior that is often the last line of defense against threatening stimuli (for example, predators).

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00985-4

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-021-00985-4