# Dissecting Cell-Specific Brainstem Circuits Mediating Escape Behavior

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2022 · $38,574

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Panic disorder affects millions of adults in the U.S. every year. Panic attacks are characterized by
overwhelming fear, difficulty breathing, accelerated heart rate, and an urge to escape. Panic therapies are
often ineffective, emphasizing the need to develop a novel mechanistic understanding of panic attacks to
advance treatment. The periaqueductal gray region has been strongly implicated in panic, as electrical
stimulation of the periaqueductal grey (PAG) induces panic in humans and induces escape, freezing, and other
defensive behaviors in rodents. However, the genetic identity of the specific cell population that selectively
drives escape is unknown. Cholecystokinin (cck), a neuropeptide, is expressed in the lateral and ventrolateral
PAG (l/vlPAG) columns. I propose to dissect a novel neural circuit involving cck+ neurons in the lateral
ventrolateral PAG (l/vlPAG) underlying escape in mice during an ethological predator-exposure behavioral
assay to elucidate the mechanism of escape. In Aim 1, I will test if cck+ l/vlPAG neural activity is sufficient and
necessary for escape from a live predator using chemogenetic manipulations. In Aim 2, I will examine if cck+
l/vlPAG neural activity predicts escape using miniaturized microscope calcium imaging in freely-moving mice in
the presence of a live rat. In Aim 3, I will test if cck+ l/vlPAG cells contribute to encoding of escape and threat
in pan-neuronal PAG cells using chemogenetics to manipulate cck+ l/vlPAG neural activity and recording
subsequent neural activity in cck- PAG cells using miniaturized microscopes. Together, these three Aims will
serve as a comprehensive approach to elucidating the neural mechanism of escape, which will provide better
insight into understanding panic mechanisms.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10464814
- **Project number:** 1F31MH127943-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Anita Torossian
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $38,574
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10464814

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10464814, Dissecting Cell-Specific Brainstem Circuits Mediating Escape Behavior (1F31MH127943-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10464814. Licensed CC0.

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