Extensive and spatially variable within-cell-type heterogeneity across the basolateral amygdala

The basolateral amygdala complex (BLA), extensively connected with both local amygdalar nuclei as well as long-range circuits, is involved in a diverse array of functional roles. Understanding the mechanisms of such functional diversity will be greatly informed by understanding the cell-type-specifi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:eLife 2020-09, Vol.9
Main Authors: O'Leary, Timothy P, Sullivan, Kaitlin E, Wang, Lihua, Clements, Jody, Lemire, Andrew L, Cembrowski, Mark S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
amygdala
Animals
Basolateral Nuclear Complex - physiology
cell type
Genes
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
neural circuits
Neurons
Neurons - physiology
Neuroscience
RNA sequencing
Tools and Resources
transcriptomics
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Summary:The basolateral amygdala complex (BLA), extensively connected with both local amygdalar nuclei as well as long-range circuits, is involved in a diverse array of functional roles. Understanding the mechanisms of such functional diversity will be greatly informed by understanding the cell-type-specific landscape of the BLA. Here, beginning with single-cell RNA sequencing, we identified both discrete and graded continuous gene-expression differences within the mouse BLA. Via in situ hybridization, we next mapped this discrete transcriptomic heterogeneity onto a sharp spatial border between the basal and lateral amygdala nuclei, and identified continuous spatial gene-expression gradients within each of these regions. These discrete and continuous spatial transformations of transcriptomic cell-type identity were recapitulated by local morphology as well as long-range connectivity. Thus, BLA excitatory neurons are a highly heterogenous collection of neurons that spatially covary in molecular, cellular, and circuit properties. This heterogeneity likely drives pronounced spatial variation in BLA computation and function.
ISSN:2050-084X
2050-084X
DOI:10.7554/elife.59003