Protocol for labeling and manipulating “home”-activated neurons in mice
Home-related cues, such as home bedding, influence affective behaviors in mice, including fear relief, anxiety reduction, and defensive aggression. Here, we present a protocol for labeling and manipulating "home"-activated neurons in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) using a Tet-Off inducible system. We describe steps for virus injection, postoperative recovery, and combining c-Fos-driven activity labeling with chemogenetics. This protocol integrates neuronal targeting with behavioral assays to provide insights into the functional role of "home"-activated neurons in home-driven behavioral adaptations. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Su et al.<sup>1</sup>.
Authors
- Yi Zhong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7927-5976)
- J. He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2175-0885)
- Bo Lei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5497-0905)
- Xian-shi Su
- Yunlong Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2699-626X)
- Keyu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8194-4692)
Institutions
- Hospital for Sick Children (CA)
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing (CN)
- Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (CN)
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CN)
- Center for Life Sciences (CN)
- Tsinghua University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- STAR Protocols
- Published
- 2025-03-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2025.103704
- Primary Topic
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China