A conserved brainstem region for instinctive behaviour control: The vertebrate periaqueductal gray

Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2024 Apr 24;86:102878. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102878. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTInstinctive behaviours have evolved across animal phyla and ensure the survival of both the individual and species. They include behaviours that achieve defence, feeding, aggression, sexual reproduction, or parental care. Within the vertebrate subphylum, the brain circuits that support instinctive behaviour output are evolutionarily conserved, being present in the oldest group of living vertebrates, the lamprey. Here, I will provide an evolutionary and comparative perspective on the function of a conserved brainstem region central to the initiation and execution of virtually all instinctive behaviours-the periaqueductal gray. In particular, I will focus on recent advances on the neural mechanisms in the periaqueductal gray that underlie the production of different instinctive behaviours within and across species.PMID:38663047 | DOI:10.1016/j.conb.2024.102878
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research