Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41846943›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2026

vCA1 SST neurons represent avoidance states that guide anxiety-related behavioral choices.

Joshua X Bratsch-Prince, Mingyang Wei, Srutika Sureshbabu, Vivan Chhaya, Nuria Cano Adamuz, Kelsey Logas, Mazen A Kheirbek

Abstract readPreprint
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Joshua X Bratsch-PrinceDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Mingyang WeiDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Srutika SureshbabuDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Vivan ChhayaDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Nuria Cano AdamuzDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Kelsey LogasDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Mazen A KheirbekDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Funding

Hippocampal modulation of subcortical circuits in the control of emotional behaviorR01MH108623 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Mazen A Kheirbek · 2016 to 2026
$6.0M
Cell-type, circuit and network mechanisms of adult oligodendrogenesis in memory storage and retrievalR01MH125515 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI CHAN, JONAH R, KHEIRBEK, MAZEN A · 2021 to 2025
$3.4M
Circuit dynamics supporting associative learning in the dentate gyrusR01DC019813 · NIDCD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI KHEIRBEK, MAZEN A · 2021 to 2025
$2.8M
How is anxiety-related information relayed across hippocampal-prefrontal circuitsR01MH117961 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI KHEIRBEK, MAZEN A, SOHAL, VIKAAS SINGH · 2019 to 2022
$2.3M
Dissecting the circuits and population dynamics that represent unconditioned and conditioned stimuli in the ventral hippocampusR01MH136270 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Mazen A Kheirbek · 2025 to 2026
$1.5M
NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC019813NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH108623NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH117961NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH125515NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH136270
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In uncertain, threatening environments, rapid and flexible behavioral decisions are essential for survival. The ventral CA1 region of the hippocampus encodes threatening contexts and can regulate avoidance-related behaviors. While activity patterns in excitatory neurons of vCA1 have been well characterized, the contributions of specific interneuron subtypes to avoidance decisions in threatening situations remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we show that somatostatin expressing (SST) interneurons in vCA1 are selectively recruited during avoidance behavior and play a causal role in shaping behavioral responses in aversive spaces. We find that vCA1 SST interneurons ramp their activity in anticipation of, and during, avoidance. This contrasted with parvalbumin (PV) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons, which are preferentially active during exploratory approach behaviors. Unlike other classes of vCA1 interneurons, SST neuron activity more reliably represented the animal's intention to avoid rather than its spatial position. Moreover, optogenetic silencing of SST interneurons reduced the efficiency of approach-avoidance decisions. These findings identify vCA1 SST interneurons as key regulators of threat assessment, revealing a cell-type-specific mechanism by which vCA1 microcircuits govern avoidance behaviors. This work provides a new framework for understanding hippocampal control of avoidance behavior and highlights SST-expressing interneurons as key contributors to anxiety-related behaviors.

Identifiers

PMID41846943
PMCPMC12991147

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.