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Principal Investigator: Rachel Gatlin
Organization: UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $33,209
Funding agency: National Institute of Mental Health
Project Summary/Abstract
As social creatures, social interaction is vital for mammalian health. Prolonged separation from social
environments can result in social isolation stress, which is linked to poor mental health outcomes, including
anxiety, depression, and violence. Despite this, relatively little is known about the neurobiology underlying these
changes induced by social isolation, representing a critical gap in the field. In this proposal, I will investigate the
role of Tachykinin 2-expressing (Tac2+) interneurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in regulating
isolation-induced aggression, through a combination of genetic characterization, cell-type specific functional
manipulations, and in vivo imaging approaches. My preliminary work establishes mPFC Tac2+ neurons as
interneurons and finds isolation-induced aggression in both male and female mice. In Aim 1 I will use an in situ
hybridization assay to investigate the extent to which neuropeptide-encoding genes are expressed in mPFC
Tac2+ interneurons to understand whether these neurons are a homogenous population or can be subdivided
into subpopulations. Then, in Aim 2 I will examine whether the activity of mPFC Tac2+ interneurons or
Tac2/Neurokinin B signaling is necessary for isolation-aggression and will investigate the role of neurokinin B in
this process. Lastly in Aim 3, I will use dual-color in vivo microendoscopic imaging of different colored calcium
indicators expressed in mPFC Tac2+ interneurons and mPFC pyramidal neurons, respectively, to understand
the activity of these neuronal populations during isolation-induced aggression. This project builds off my strong
background in rodent behavior and allows me to gain computational skills for the analysis of behavior and calcium
imaging data. Under the training provided by this fellowship, I will gain the necessary technical skills, knowledge
of my field, and data analysis skills to assist in my transition to a postdoctoral position in systems neuroscience
and achieve my career goal of becoming a professor at a research-intensive institution. Through understanding
the contribution of mPFC Tac2+ interneurons to isolation-induced aggression, this project will further our
understanding of the circuit-level mechanisms that contribute to mental health issues resulting from prolonged
social isolation.
Terms: <4-Aminobutanoic Acid><4-Aminobutyric Acid><4-amino-butanoic acid><Adolescent><Adolescent Youth><Aggression><Aggressive behavior><Aminalon><Aminalone><Anxiety><Assay><Behavior><Behavioral><Bioassay><Biological Assay><Brain><Brain Nervous System><Brain region><COVID crisis><COVID epidemic><COVID pandemic><COVID-19 crisis><COVID-19 epidemic><COVID-19 era><COVID-19 global health crisis><COVID-19 global pandemic><COVID-19 health crisis><COVID-19 pandemic><COVID-19 period><COVID-19 public health crisis><COVID-19 years><Calcium><Cell Communication and Signaling><Cell Signaling><Chronic><Color><Computer Analysis><Confocal Microscopy><Connector Neuron><Data><Data Analyses><Data Analysis><Development><Encephalon><Endoscopy><Equilibrium><Exhibits><Feeling><Fellowship><Female><GABA><Genes><Genetic><Genetic Identity><Goals><Health><House mice><Image><In Situ Hybridization><Institution><Intercalary Neuron><Intercalated Neurons><Interneurons><Internuncial Cell><Internuncial Neuron><Intracellular Communication and Signaling><Knowledge><Lead><Link><Measures><Medial><Mediating><Mental Depression><Mental Health><Mental Hygiene><Mice><Mice Mammals><Modeling><Murine><Mus><Mus musculus><NK-3 Receptors><NK3 Receptor><NK3R><Nerve Cells><Nerve Unit><Neural Cell><Neurobiology><Neurocyte><Neurokinin B><Neurokinin B Receptor><Neurokinin B Receptors><Neurokinin beta><Neurokinin-3 Receptors><Neuromedin K><Neuromedin K Receptor><Neurons><Neuropeptides><Neurosciences><Operative Procedures><Operative Surgical Procedures><Outcome><Pattern><Pb element><Population><Position><Positioning Attribute><Postdoc><Postdoctoral Fellow><Prefrontal Cortex><Process><Psychological Health><Public Health><Pyramidal neuron><Research><Research Associate><Rodent><Rodentia><Rodents Mammals><Role><SARS-CoV-2 epidemic><SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis><SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 epidemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 pandemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 epidemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 pandemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic><Signal Transduction><Signal Transduction Systems><Signaling><Social Behavior><Social Environment><Social Interaction><Social isolation><Stress><Surgical><Surgical Interventions><Surgical Procedure><System><Tachykinin><Technical Expertise><Testing><Training><Violence><Viral><Work><balance><balance function><biological signal transduction><calcium indicator><career><cell type><computational analyses><computational analysis><computer analyses><coronavirus disease 2019 crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic><coronavirus disease 2019 global health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 public health crisis><coronavirus disease crisis><coronavirus disease epidemic><coronavirus disease pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 global pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 pandemic><data interpretation><depression><developmental><endomicroscopy><endoscopic imaging><feelings><gamma-Aminobutyric Acid><heavy metal Pb><heavy metal lead><hippocampal pyramidal neuron><imaging><imaging approach><imaging based approach><imaging in vivo><implantation><in situ Hybridization Genetics><in situ Hybridization Staining Method><in vivo><in vivo imaging><insight><juvenile><juvenile human><knock-down><knockdown><lens><lenses><loss of function><male><microendoscopy><neural correlate><neurobiological><neuronal><novel><post-doc><post-doctoral><post-doctoral trainee><professor><research associates><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global health crisis><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global pandemic><skills><social><social climate><social context><social role><social separation><sociobehavior><sociobehavioral><socioenvironment><socioenvironmental><stressor><surgery><technical skills><violent><violent behavior><γ-Aminobutyric Acid>