Central amygdala CRF+ neurons tune defensive state stability during threat.

CeA CRF+ neurons and CRFR1 signaling are essential for transitioning from immobility to active defense during threat, with 50% disruption observed in stressed males.

• Why it matters: Understanding how defensive behaviors adapt to changing threat conditions is crucial for addressing fear-related disorders, yet the circuit mechanisms behind this flexibility are unclear.
• What they did: The study used dual-threat conditioning and chemogenetic manipulation of CeA CRF+ neurons, along with CRFR1 antagonism, to examine their roles in threat response transitions in mice.
• The result: Disrupting CRF signaling impaired the transition out of immobility, promoting behavioral rigidity under threat uncertainty, and highlighting CRF’s role in adaptive defensive state regulation.