Animal behavior is shaped by a variety of" internal states"—partially hidden variables that
profoundly shape perception, cognition, and action. The neural basis of internal states, such …

In nature, animals display defensive behaviors that reflect the spatiotemporal distance of
threats. Laboratory-based paradigms that elicit specific defensive responses in rodents have …

The amygdala is a brain region primarily associated with emotional response. The use of
genetic markers and single-cell transcriptomics can provide insights into behavior …

Emotions are fundamental to our experience and behavior, affecting and motivating all
aspects of our lives. Scientists of various disciplines have been fascinated by emotions for …

Upon increasing levels of threat, animals activate qualitatively different defensive modes,
including freezing and active fight-or-flight reactions. Whereas freezing is a form of …

Decades of research has identified the brain areas that are involved in fear, fear extinction,
anxiety and related defensive behaviours. Newly developed genetic and viral tools …

Over the past 10 years, the development and convergence of microbial opsin engineering,
modular genetic methods for cell-type targeting and optical strategies for guiding light …

The amygdala has long been associated with emotion and motivation, playing an essential
part in processing both fearful and rewarding environmental stimuli. How can a single …

Basolateral amygdala (BLA) principal cells are capable of driving and antagonizing
behaviors of opposing valence. BLA neurons project to the central amygdala (CeA), which …

Research on defensive behaviour in mammals has in recent years focused on elicited
reactions; however, organisms also make active choices when responding to danger. We …