Brain-wide neuron quantification toolkit reveals strong sexual dimorphism in the evolution of fear memory
Abstract
Fear responses are functionally adaptive behaviors that are strengthened as memories. Indeed, detailed knowledge of the neural circuitry modulating fear memory could be the turning point for the comprehension of this emotion and its pathological states. A comprehensive understanding of the circuits mediating memory encoding, consolidation, and retrieval presents the fundamental technological challenge of analyzing activity in the entire brain with single-neuron resolution. In this context, we develop the brain-wide neuron quantification toolkit (BRANT) for mapping whole-brain neuronal activation at micron-scale resolution, combining tissue clearing, high-resolution light-sheet microscopy, and automated image analysis. The robustness and scalability of this method allow us to quantify the evolution of activity patterns across multiple phases of memory in mice. This approach highlights a strong sexual dimorphism in recruited circuits, which has no counterpart in the behavior. The methodology presented here paves the way for a comprehensive characterization of the evolution of fear memory.
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BibTeX
@article{franceschini2026brainwide,
title = {{Brain-wide neuron quantification toolkit reveals strong sexual dimorphism in the evolution of fear memory}},
author = {Alessandra Franceschini and Giacomo Mazzamuto and Curzio Checcucci and Lorenzo Chicchi and Duccio Fanelli and Irene Costantini and Maria Beatrice Passani and Bianca Ambrogina Silva and Francesco Saverio Pavone and Ludovico Silvestri},
journal = {Cell Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112908},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05779303v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Brain-wide neuron quantification toolkit reveals strong sexual dimorphism in the evolution of fear memory
AU - Alessandra Franceschini
AU - Giacomo Mazzamuto
AU - Curzio Checcucci
AU - Lorenzo Chicchi
AU - Duccio Fanelli
AU - Irene Costantini
AU - Maria Beatrice Passani
AU - Bianca Ambrogina Silva
AU - Francesco Saverio Pavone
AU - Ludovico Silvestri
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Cell Reports
DO - 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112908
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05779303v1
AB - Fear responses are functionally adaptive behaviors that are strengthened as memories. Indeed, detailed knowledge of the neural circuitry modulating fear memory could be the turning point for the comprehension of this emotion and its pathological states. A comprehensive understanding of the circuits mediating memory encoding, consolidation, and retrieval presents the fundamental technological challenge of analyzing activity in the entire brain with single-neuron resolution. In this context, we develop the brain-wide neuron quantification toolkit (BRANT) for mapping whole-brain neuronal activation at micron-scale resolution, combining tissue clearing, high-resolution light-sheet microscopy, and automated image analysis. The robustness and scalability of this method allow us to quantify the evolution of activity patterns across multiple phases of memory in mice. This approach highlights a strong sexual dimorphism in recruited circuits, which has no counterpart in the behavior. The methodology presented here paves the way for a comprehensive characterization of the evolution of fear memory.
SN - 2211-1247
SN - 2211-1247
ER -