Endocannabinoid modulation of defensive state transitions to innate and learned threat

Abstract

A hallmark of many psychiatric disorders is maladaptive and heightened fear responses to non-threatening stimuli. Adaptive defensive responses to threats involve transitions between passive behaviors, such as freezing, and active escape strategies, such as darting or fleeing. The endocannabinoid (eCB) system, particularly 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), plays a crucial role in modulating fear and stress responses. However, the extent to which 2-AG influences defensive behavioral state transitions to fear responses remains unclear. To address this, we investigated the role of 2-AG in shaping defensive behaviors to learned and innate threats using pharmacological manipulations in both the serial compound stimulus (SCS) and the looming shadow paradigm. During SCS, inhibition of 2-AG synthesis enhanced freezing to early cues and promoted active responses during cues associated with heightened threat imminence. In the looming shadow paradigm, 2-AG depletion biased defensive behavior toward freezing and increased time spent in a safe zone, suggesting a shift toward passive responses. These findings demonstrate that 2-AG signaling critically regulates the balance and transitions between passive and active defensive strategies in both learned and innate fear contexts. Thus, 2-AG plays a key role in the scaling of defensive response transitions and the promotion of active defensive responses to threats.