Balancing anxiety and social desire

Anxiety is a negative emotional state that is overly displayed in anxiety disorders and depression. Although anxiety is known to be controlled by distributed brain networks, key components for its initiation, maintenance and coordination with behavioral state remain poorly understood. Here, we report that anxiogenic stressors elicit acute and prolonged responses in glutamatergic neurons of mouse medial preoptic area (mPOA). These neurons encode extremely negative valence, and mediate induction and expression of anxiety-like behaviors. Conversely, mPOA GABAergic neurons encode positive valence and produce anxiolytic effects. Such opposing roles are mediated by their competing local interactions and long-range projections to the periaqueductal gray. The two neuronal populations antagonistically regulate anxiety-like and parental behaviors: anxiety is reduced while parenting is enhanced and vice versa. Thus, by evaluating negative and positive valences through distinct but interacting circuits, mPOA coordinates emotional state and social behavior.