# Multiplex imaging of neuronal activity and signaling dynamics underlying learning in discrete amygdala circuits of behaving mice.

> **NIH NIH R01** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $988,328

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The amygdala plays a central role in diverse learned behaviors. By integrating the sensory information with
stress, punishment, and reward signals, the circuitry within the amygdala is thought to be modified during
learning to mediate specific behavioral outcomes. However, the circuit principles governing what is changed
and how different types of learning give rise to qualitatively distinct behaviors remains largely unknown. It has
been recognized that an important step towards dissecting the circuitry mechanism underlying amygdala-
dependent learning is to determine the activities of individual neurons within discrete amygdala circuits before,
during, and after a learning task. However, this goal has been challenging to achieve for technical reasons.
First, the amygdala is buried deep within the brain, making it difficult to access by imaging methods, such as
calcium imaging, which has become a technique of choice for interrogating neuronal action potential activities
with cellular resolution over large neuronal populations. Second, the stress and reward signals are in part
encoded as neuromodulatory activities, which do not usually result in direct changes in neuronal electrical
activities and cannot be measured by calcium imaging or voltage measurements. Measuring neuromodulation
in vivo, especially during behavior, remains challenging. Adding to the difficulty, the identity of individual
amygdala circuits, as well as where each circuit receives input and where it sends output, are only partially
understood.
We plan to meet these challenges by integrating the most recent, complementary technological advances from
the three co-PIs. In defined behavioral paradigms we will image calcium as a proxy for neuronal firing in the
amygdalae of behaving mice by performing two-photon imaging via a tiny GRIN lens (Φ~0.5 mm), which offers
optical access to deep brain structures with relatively little damage. Simultaneously through the same GRIN
lens, we will image the activity dynamics of the cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway, which is a
common downstream signaling pathway for many neuromodulators, including norepinephrine and dopamine,
as readout for stress/reward-induced neuromodulatory signals by using two-photon fluorescence lifetime
imaging microscopy. In conjunction, we will perform computation-based anatomical circuitry analyses to
dissect novel functional subdivisions of the amygdala, and identify the input-output of each subdivision with
cell-type specificity. Based on these techniques, we will systematically map circuits, including previously
unknown circuits, within the amygdala and determine how neurons from each circuit are recruited by and
contribute to the generation of specific behaviors.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10058288
- **Project number:** 5R01NS104944-04
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Bo LI
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $988,328
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-12-15 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10058288

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10058288, Multiplex imaging of neuronal activity and signaling dynamics underlying learning in discrete amygdala circuits of behaving mice. (5R01NS104944-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10058288. Licensed CC0.

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