Project Summary

Christopher M. Olsen, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2008) of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is studying the extended amygdala, a group of brain regions strongly implicated in mediating acute and chronic anxiety. Two major components are the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Both are regulated by dopamine neurons primarily arising from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the A10dc area, which includes the periaqueductal grey (PAG) and dorsal raphe (DR). This study will investigate the role of A10dc and VTA dopamine neurons in anxiety and depression by exposing mice to repeated social stress and measuring activation of molecular signals linked to enduring cellular changes within regions of the extended amygdala and their dopamine afferents.

Program Area: MULTIPLE FOCUS\Anxiety Disorders/Mood Disorders

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