A Disinhibitory Microcircuit Mediates Conditioned Social Fear in the Prefrontal Cortex Haifeng Xu & Ling Liu & Yuanyuan Tian & Jun Wang & Jie Li & Junqiang Zheng & Hongfei Zhao & Miao He & Tian-Le Xu & Shumin Duan & Han Xu
Evenas she responded to BrentSellhorn, her boyfriend ofthe pastyear, her gaze returned to the lamp. Annie wondered whathewouldsayifsheteasinglytoldhimshe’dbeendistractedbyabronzesiren “Ithoughtyou’dbebackbynow.Istoppedbyyour cubicle,butKarleewouldonlysayyouwereout.”Frustrationfilled Brent’stone “WhenIaskedifyou’dtakenalatelunch,sherespondedbyaskingifIwantedtoleaveamessage” Annie smiled. Brentknew better. He’d beenaround longenoughto understand thather coworkers were a closemouthed group.Karlee,who’dbeenhiredsixmonthsagostraightoutofcollege,hadfitrightin.
“Youalreadyknowmyschedule,sowhyask?”
As she and Brentworked for the same company, theyusuallymetfor lunchateleventhirty. ButBrenthad informed her earlierintheweekhewouldn’tbeabletomeetonFridaybecauseofaworkconflict Withnoplansforlunch,Anniehadstayedfocusedonworkuntilnearlyone.
While she and Brentbothworked under the same accountingumbrella atSensorTech, she was inTreasuryManagement, whichmanagedthecompany’scashflow,amongotherduties,whileBrentwasinGeneralAccounting
“Yes,seeyouatseven”Anniedroppedthephoneintoherpurse,wonderingwhyhe’dfelttheneedtoconfirmthetime It wasthesameeveryweek.Onlytherestaurantchanged.
Talking business, no matter how briefly, had Annie fighting the urge to head directly back to the office. She reminded herselfshestillhadagoodtwentyminutesleftonherlunchhour
Annie looked up into the smiling face of Sophie Wexman, the shop’s owner, who was sporting a bright blue Timeless Treasures T-shirt Withher full cheeks and long, darkhair pulled backinto a jauntytail, Sophie could pass for one of the studentsherprofessorhusbandtaughtatCollisterCollege.
Annie gestured with one hand. “I was on myway back to the office, but thenI saw your sign and all the goodies and couldn’tresist IthoughtI’dtakeafewminutestowanderandseeifanythingcatchesmyeye”
Sophiesmiled.“Thebestwaytofindunexpectedtreasures.” “Oh,miss,”anolderwomancalledout “Couldyouansweraquestionformeaboutthispiece?” “Be right there,” Sophie called to the woman, thenturned backto Annie. “If youdo have anyquestions, please let me know.”
Annie wove her waythroughthe rows ofantiques to the boxand picked it up. Holdingit securely, she turned it inher hands Thewoodfeltsmooth,asifmanyhandshadhelditovertheyears Itsportedintricatescrollworkonthesides
Theairturnedthick,thewayitdidwhenastormmovedin,andallsoundsoflaughterandconversationdisappeared The sunmusthavemomentarilyslippedbehindtheclouds,becauseeverythingdimmed,includinghervision.
“You’re right No price tag anywhere That is so strange It must have gotten missed when we were tagging the merchandise.Sophiewillknow.”HannahliftedherhandandmotionedSophieover.
Brent had been in high spirits since he’d knocked on her door, precisely at seven. On the drive to Black Apron, he’d thankedherseveraltimesforlettinghimpicktherestaurantthisevening
Onthe drive toBlackApron,Annie hadagreedtobrieflystopinatthe bar once theyfinishedeating ThoughBrentkept insistingheonlywantedtosayhellotoScotandwishSandywell,Anniewasn’tfooled.
“Okay” Brent blew out a breath “Jeff Brown is retiring, and Scot will be the one appointing the new director of Accounting.”
This was old news to Annie Her mother had spokencasuallywithher aboutthe position, sayingitwas tailor-made for someonewithherknowledgeofthecompany,educationandstrongworkethic.
And the hardest one she would have to swallow: She would never have gotten the promotion if SensorTech wasn’t a family-ownedbusinessandhermotherwasn’ttheCEO.
“I’mgoodwithpeople,thoughmaybenotas goodas you,”Brentacknowledged Itwas almost,Anniethought,as ifhe’d read her mind. “Beingthe director of Accountingwill give me management experience. I also want more moneyand more control IenjoyworkingatSensorTech Icertainlydon’twanttolookelsewhere,butIwantmore”
Annie figured he could be excused for notremembering This would be onlyher second time “I’mtakingpetphotos at PawsHaven.”
Asateenager,Anniehadfalleninlovewithphotography.Everyonesaidshehadmadskills.Recallingthatinterestandher talentwitha camera, her friend Olivia had approached her abouttakingpictures ofadoptable pets for Paws Haven’s social mediaposts.
“Ihad mydoubts as well. Iwondered ifitwould make a difference.” Awarmthflowed throughAnnie as she thoughtof whatherfriendhadtoldher “Oliviasaidtheywereflooredbytheresponse”
“Olivia said to thinkofitas lookingyour bestfor a job interview,” she said to Brentwhentheywere alone again. She smiledatthethought.“Theybatheandgroomtheanimalsbeforethepictures,thenbringouttheclothingandprops.”
“I don’t understand why they asked you.” Brent appeared clearly puzzled. “No disrespect, but it’s not like you’re a professionalphotographer.”
“Theycan’taffordaprofessional,”Annietoldhim “OliviarememberedmyloveofphotographywhenIwasyoung When brainstormingwithherteamoverwhomighthelp,shethoughtofme.”
“Inever saidanimalsaredirty.Iagreedwithyouaboutnotlikingcathair onmyclothes.Ididn’tsayI’mopposedtocat coffee shops or cafés.” Annie toyedwiththe stemofher wineglass.“IthinkyouandIshouldcheckoutthatnew one before makinganydecisions”
As if sensing her sadness, Brent reached over and laid his hand over hers. She let it rest there for several seconds, absorbingthewarmthofthesimpletouch,thenliftedherhandtopickupherwineglass “I’mconsideringgettingacat There’s aSiameseattheshelterwhostaresatmewithsuspiciouseyes.Ikindoflikethatabouther.Shehasspunk.”
“I’mallergictocats.”Brenttookthebillfromthewaiter.Afterpullingouthiscreditcard,hewaitedforAnnietoaddhers. Earlyintheir relationship, Brent had brought up the fact that, since theybothworked and likelyearned about the same amountofmoney,thefairthingwouldbeforthemtopaytheirownwaywhentheywentout.
Seeingthe logic, Annie had agreed Thoughshe did find itamusingthatiftheywere outwithBrent’s friends, he always insistedonpickingupthetab.
“You’ve got a lot onyour plate, what withthe new fiscal year startingJulyfirst Have youevenfinished your forecast analysis?”
Anniewaswellawareofherjobdutiesandresponsibilities Shecertainlydidn’tneedhimtoremindher “Don’tworryaboutme. I’mwell aware whatneeds to getdone.” Her voice now held a hintofcoolness thatshe found impossibletowarm “I’llbeready”
Now, she watched Brentstealthilymake his wayto where the CFOstood Brenthad nearlyreached his targetwhenthe CFO’seyeslandedonAnnie.AsmileliftedScot’slips.Inlongstrides,ScotstrodeovertowhereAnniestoodalone. “Thisisanicesurprise.”Nowinhismid-fifties,ScothadbeenwithSensorTechsinceitsfoundingbyherfather.
Oncetheyreachedherfrontdoor,Anniesaidgood-byetoBrent.Sheknewhe’dexpectedtocomeinside,buthehadn’tpushed when she’d told himher headache had only gotten worse He often spent the night after their Friday night dinners In the morning,he’dsetthetableandmakecoffeewhileshewhippedtogetherham-and-cheeseomelets,afavoriteofbothofthem.
Thoughher Victorian-era townhouse was nowhere near as grand as the home she’d grownup in, itsuited her She also likeditsproximitytothebusinessdistrict.
All the homes onher blocksported prettycolors commonto the late 1800s and early1900s. She considered hers to be particularlyattractive,withits yellow siding,whitetrimandredaccents Houses inthis areawererarelyfor sale,butwhen thisonehadcomeonthemarketfiveyearsago,she’dsnatcheditup.
Atthis moment,Annieconsideredher lifetobepracticallyperfect Shehadacareer sheenjoyed Shecamehomeevery nightto a house she’d personallyfurnished withitems thatbroughther joy. Whenshe walked throughthe frontdoor and the warmthofthehomewrappedaroundherlikeafavoritesweater,anyworriesfromthedayslippedoffhershoulderstopoolat herfeet
Annie also loved thatshe’d devised a schedule thatkepther ontrack. She spentFridayand Saturdaynights withBrent, volunteeredonSaturdayafternoonsandenjoyedSundaybrunchwithfriends OnSundaynights,shehaddinnerwithhermom
Whenshe’darrivedhomethisafternoon,she’dbeeninahurrytogetreadyforherdatewithBrentandhadsimplyplacedit on the burled walnut parlor table. The location seemed appropriate, considering the table had also come from Timeless Treasures
Likehim,Annielovedthesmellofrainonafreshlymowedyard Itwaftedinthroughthescreendoor Her mother andbrother were outwithfriends this springafternoon,soitwas justher andher dad.They’dspentthe day hikingandtakingpicturesinthewoodsontheedgeofGraceTown.
He’d shownher some new tricks withthe digital camera, and they’d gottenseveral amazingshots They’d arrived home justastherainhadbegun.
Privately,shethoughtitprobablyhadtodowithherfather’sfootissues.Maybeheneededsurgeryorsomething.Ateleven, she wasn’tsure whatkindofsurgerywouldfixankle weakness,butshe knew the ankle splint her dadcalleditanAFO hadn’thelped.
The sadness inhis eyes had tears fillingher own. She loved her dad, loved himso verymuch. ThoughAnnie and her motherwereclose,itwasherdadwhodancedintherainwithherandwhosharedherpassionforphotographyanddogs. Herdadhadbeentheonewho’dheldherwhenthedecisionhadbeenmadetoputErniedown.
“Imightas well sayit” Her dad’s voice remained softbutsteadyevenas his eyes the same vivid blue as her own filled with tears. “I have ALS. That’s why my ankle is weak, and it explains some of the other symptoms I’ve been experiencing”
Despite his cool demeanor,the thickeninginErik’s voice hadher suspectinghe was nowhere near as unconcernedas he appeared.Overthepastyear,theirfather’sconditionhadprogressedfarmorerapidlythaneventhedoctorshadanticipated. “Youneedtostoppretending,Annie.”Erik’s tonesoftened.“Nothingyou’redoingis goingtochangeanything.He’s still goingtodie”
“He knows I’mhere for him. He knows he can count on me.” She sneered. “Go on. Go with your friends. I’ll do the therapy I’llbehereforhim”
Shewouldbethereforherdad. Until the end. Just like Ernie.
There had beena time whenone ofher duties had beento charthis blood oxygenationlevels. Lastweek, they’d grown alarminglylow WhenAnniehadbroughtthattohermother’sattention,hermomhadeliminatedthattaskfromAnnie’slistof duties.
Her dad refused to consider a ventilator Her momhad said there was no reasonto chartsomethingthatwould onlyget worsebecauseoflung-muscleweakness.
Anniecouldn’tstop.
Secretly, she continued to keep track, the simple actofchartingmakingher feel more solid, more incontrol evenas the saturationlevelscontinuedtodrop.
“Iwantyouhere withme” Her voice rose,thenbroke Tears slippeddownher cheeks ina steadystream “Iwantus to takeourcamerasandgosearchinginthewoodsfortheperfectpicture.Iwanttodanceintherainwithyouagain.Iloveyouso much,Daddy.”
“Iwantedsomuchtowatchyougrow andseewhatdirectionyourwonderfullifetakesyou”Sadnessblanketedhisface, and she could see the effort it was takingfor himto speak. “I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter. Thankyoufor all you’vedoneforme Butplease,please,whenyourememberme,don’tremembermesickandinthisbed Thinkbacktothelife wehadbeforeand ”
Not onlyhad she lost her father, she’d lost the closeness withher brother they’d once enjoyed. She and Erikhad been friendsbeforetheirdadhadbeendiagnosedwithLouGehrig’sdisease Notsomuchafter
Evenatthememorialservice,he’dwalkedoutwhiletheyweregreetingthosewho’dcometopaytheirrespectstoagreat man. Her mother had had no clue where he’d gone, and neither had Annie. One second, Erikhad beenwiththemas they’d enteredthechurch,andthenext,he’dbeengone.Shortlybeforetheservicehadbegun,he’dslidintothepew,hiseyesdry,his faceastonymask.
Photographyhadbeentheirthing,thesamewayanintenseloveofsportshadbeensomethingheandErikhadshared She couldn’tremember the number ofnights she’d watched her brother and her dad shoothoops inthe driveway, or do lacrosse drillsintheyard.
Whenhe picked up a basketball or a lacrosse stick, was Erikhitwiththe same bittersweet pangshe feltwhenever she pickeduphercamera?
He’dneversaid,andshehadn’tasked
She didn’t resent being the one who’d been around the most those memories were precious to her. ALS might have robbedPeterLaggettofhismotorskillsandmadehisbodyashell,butthemanhewashadstillbeenthere
Conscious of the tears now slippingdownher cheeks, Annie brushed themawaywiththe pads of her fingers. Her dad wantedhertobehappy,ofthatshehadabsolutelynodoubt.
After strippingoffher runningclothes, Annie tooka quickshower Since this wasn’t her first time at Paws Haven, she knewwhattoexpect lotsofupsanddownsinordertogetthebestphotos.Whichmeantthatdressingcasuallyinleggingsand ateewouldbethesmartchoice
Whenshe drove up, she saw thatthe shelter’s parkinglotappeared to be close to halffull. Annie hoped the number of vehicleswasanindicationthatlotsofanimalswouldbeheadedtotheirforeverhomesthisweekend
the staffand manyofthe volunteers. Everyone appeared busy, so she slipped throughthe staffdoor withjusta smile and a wavetoDelbert,thegrizzledseniormanningthefrontdesktoday.
“Oh,Annie”Zara,oneoftheadoptioncounselors,stoppedherinthehall “Ihavesomebadnews” Annie inhaled sharply, and her heartskipped a beat. She shifted the canvas bagthatwas slungover her shoulder. “Is it Olivia?Issheokay?”
“Acouple who’d losttheir Siamese earlier this year. She was justwhattheywere lookingfor.” Zara’s tone gentled. “I knewyouwereinterested,butyouhadn’tdecidedifyouwerereadytocommittoapet ”
Once the furniture was outofthe way, Annie pulled a pale greenfleece blanketfromthe canvas bagshe’d brought. She placedthepreciselyfoldedblanketonthetable.
During the short time he was gone, Annie took out her camera, checked the lighting and reviewed in her head the suggestionsshe’dreadongettinggreatbullypics.
No props or clothing for this dog Minimize distractions Let him wander a bit first Snap a pic from eye level Sawyerbroughtthedogtotheareaonaleash,talkingtotheanimalasiftheywerefriends.“You’lllikeitouthere.There’s lotsofsun,butshade,too.Ibetitfeelsgoodtobeoutside.”
Annie, who’d beenseated, rose. She’d read thatthe Englishbulldog’s pure white color was desirable amongthose who knewandlovedbullies Whichlikelymeanthistimeintheshelterwouldbeshort “He’sacutie”
Keeba was a short-haired,medium-sizeddogwithwide shoulders,a shorttail anda low,sturdystance.There were too manylooseskinwrinklesforhertocount Shewasn’tsurewhichdrewherattentionmore hisunderbiteordroopinglips
It was the moment Annie had been hoping for She took numerous shots, not caring about the chain link fence in the background,knowingshecouldblurthat.Hergoalwastogetsomephotosthatdidjusticetothismajesticcreature.
“Oh,we’llbringthebowintoplaybeforethesessionisdone,”Annieassuredhim TheMaltesespentthefirstfew minutesofthesessionbarkingatherandSawyer.Iftheshrill,incessantbarkingbothered the man, it didn’t show He continued to talk softly to Cupcake and offer her treats The treats sat in the palmof his flat, extendedhandashepatientlywaitedforhertocalmdownandcometohim.
Once Cupcake hada few treats inher,she appearedtorelax.Or maybe itwas because the area theywere inwas quiet, withnootherbarkingdogsordistractions
“HelenKeller once said,‘Whatwe have once enjoyed,we cannever lose…All thatwe love deeplybecomes a partof us.’”SympathyblanketedSawyer’sface.“Erniewillalwaysbeapartofyou.”
Glancingatherwatch,Annierealizedthat,unlessWinnieproveddifficult,theyshouldfinishrightontime She realized somethingelse todayhad beenfun. Partofthe reasonwas itfeltgood to have a camera inher hand once again Some ofitwas knowingshe could be makinga difference inthese animals’lives And Sawyer, well, he was a good partner.
“Never came up.” He shrugged. “Besides, I got the distinct impressionyouwere more interested inmyabilityto tie a bandannacorrectlythanmyskillingivingavaccination”
Though if there were, she’d have thought Olivia would have mentioned it. Of course, Sawyer could be married. Or involved.Otherthantheirtalkaboutanimals,theyhadn’tdelvedintothepersonal.
“Locumtenens.”Oliviapaused,asifsearchingfortheeasiestwaytoexplain.“It’sLatinfor‘holdtheplace.’Doctorscan be locums andsocanvets Aveterinarylocumcomes inandtakes over whenanother vetneeds extended time awayfroma clinic.Oncetheothervetreturns,thelocummovesontoanotherassignment.”
“Ihadn’tdecided, and I’mglad she found a good home. Brentwill be glad to hear it, too.” Annie regretted bringingup Brentagainwhenherfriend’seyesnarrowed “What’sittohim?”
She liked knowingwhatto expectfor the weekso thatshe could prepare mentally. Twenty-four hours’notice was better thanfindingoutatthelastminute,butthatwasstillnotenoughtimeforhertogettheplancenteredinherhead
“Iwanted to introduce youto George, but…” Zara made a face. “He isn’tathis besttoday. We gave himIVfluids and thoughtthatwouldperkhimup,butithasn’t notsofar,anyway.”
As ifseeingthequestioninglookinAnnie’s eyes,Zarawavedahand.“I’mgoingtotrytoseeifIcangetavolunteer to comeinandbewithGeorge,butwiththislatenoticeonaweekend,it’sdoubtful”
“Spirits canbe as easilybrokenas bones and as challengingto heal” Sawyer’s lips tightened “This little guywas cast asidelikeyesterday’strash.ShihTzusaresensitive.Youknow.Youhadone.IthinkGeorgeisindangeroflosinghiswillto live”
Ernie’s blackandwhite hair hadbeenlongandflowingandalways brushed.Frequenttrips tothe groomer hadkepthim looking his best. Her mother had loved to pull his long hair into a topknot and tie it with what she’d deemed a suitably masculineribbon
The animal inAnnie’s arms looked more like a skinned rat exceptinthe face and inthose intelligentbrowneyes that measuredandassessed
Itbrokeher heartthatsomeonehadhurthim.Whether ithadbeenactual physical abuseor dailyneglect,this animal had beenhurt,inbodyandinspirit.
The dogtookone sniff. His tail, skinnyand as hairless as anopossum’s, moved slightly. The tail wasn’t the onlything skinnyonhissmallbody.George’sribsshowed.
