Activation of glutamatergic neurons in the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis induces thirst-driven sniffing
Wei He,
Luo Shi,
Ziteng Yue,
Ke Zhao,
Xiaoyi Wang,
Kailin Wang,
Xinyi Jing,
Shangyu Bi,
Tianjiao Deng,
Xue Zhao,
Xiaochen Tian,
Xiangchen Ma,
Yongqiang Chen,
Fang Yuan,
Sheng Wang
Affiliations
Wei He
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Luo Shi
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Ziteng Yue
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Ke Zhao
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Xiaoyi Wang
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Kailin Wang
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Xinyi Jing
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Shangyu Bi
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Tianjiao Deng
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Xue Zhao
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Xiaochen Tian
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Xiangchen Ma
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Yongqiang Chen
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Fang Yuan
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Shijiazhuang, China; Corresponding author
Sheng Wang
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Shijiazhuang, China; Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Sniffing is a specialized respiratory behavior that enables rodents to localize and track objects in their environment. The organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) is critically involved in the regulation of thirst and water intake, yet its role in controlling thirst-driven exploratory sniffing behaviors remains unclear. This study demonstrates that hypertonic stimulation significantly increases sniffing and activates OVLT glutamatergic (OVLTGlut) neurons. Photostimulation of both OVLTGlut neurons and their axon terminals within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) induces robust sniffing. Furthermore, ablation of PVN neurons projecting to the preBötzinger complex not only reduces the sniffing time induced by photostimulation of OVLTGlut neurons projecting to the PVN but also prolongs the drinking latency. These findings identify the OVLTGlut-PVN-preBötzinger complex circuit as a pivotal regulator of thirst-driven sniffing, providing insights into the neural mechanisms underlying thirst and exploratory behavior.
