Dopaminergic neurons linking threat processing to cardiac modulation and locomotor responses.

Mechanical threat in tethered Drosophila triggers locomotion alongside rapid cardiac deceleration, mediated by DA-WED dopaminergic neurons that are activated by threat.

• Why it matters: The neural pathway connecting threat processing to cardiac modulation—and how cardiac dynamics feed back into defensive behavior—remains unclear.
• What they did: The study used simultaneous heartbeat and behavior recordings, two-photon calcium imaging, neuron silencing/optogenetic activation of DA-WED pairs, and cardiomyocyte optogenetic manipulation that reproduces threat-evoked deceleration.
• The result: Silencing DA-WED neurons attenuates threat-induced cardiac deceleration, activation can decelerate the heart without threat, and cardiomyocyte manipulation that matches deceleration increases locomotion.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.