Distinguished lecture
Abstract:
There is important inter-individual variation in coping responses and motivated behavior under stress, and trait anxiety is revealing as a key moderator of this variation. Our work in animals and humans implicates a key role of the mesolimbic system and identifies the involvement of metabolism and mitochondrial function in nucleus accumbens circuits in the link between anxiety and motivated actions. I will present work in rodents and humans; the latter one involving virtual reality and neuroimaging to capture the impact of anxiety on brain function and behavior. Our findings have implications for the understanding of the mechanisms involved in individual differences in motivated behavior and vulnerability to stress.