Journal article
Relaxin family peptide receptor 3 (RXFP3) expressing cells in the zona incerta/lateral hypothalamus augment behavioural arousal
BK Richards, SS Ch'ng, AB Simon, TY Pang, JH Kim, AJ Lawrence, CJ Perry
Journal of Neurochemistry | Published : 2025
DOI: 10.1111/jnc.16217
Abstract
Fear-related psychopathologies, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, are linked to dysfunction in neural circuits that govern fear memory and arousal. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) and zona incerta (ZI) regulate fear, but our understanding of the precise neural circuits and cell types involved remains limited. Here, we examined the role of relaxin family peptide receptor 3 (RXFP3) expressing cells in the LH/ZI in conditioned fear expression and general arousal in male RXFP3-Cre mice. We found that LH/ZI RXFP3+ (LH/ZIRXFP3) cells projected strongly to fear learning, stress, and arousal centres, notably, the periaqueductal grey, lateral habenula, and nucleus reuniens. These cells do not exp..
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Grants
Awarded by University of Melbourne
Funding Acknowledgements
This research was supported by an International Society for Neurochemistry Career Development Grant (CJP), an ARC Discovery project grant DP210102672 (CJP, AJL, JHK), a NHMRC project grant 1079893 (AJL), a Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship 20224425 (BKR), and the Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Scheme. We thank the Central Animal Facility staff at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health for animal husbandry. We also thank the Florey Microscopy Facility and Phenomics Australia Histopathology and Slide Scanning Service, The University of Melbourne, for microscopy services. Open access publishing facilitated by Macquarie University, as part of the Wiley - Macquarie University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.