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Subregion-specific manipulations of mPFC revealed a functional dissociation. Selective activation of the IL\u2013BF pathway increased activity, suppressed freezing during extinction, and produced place preference. In contrast, activation of the PrL\u2013BF projections produced place avoidance without altering activity levels or conditioned fear responses. Anatomical analysis revealed that BF-projecting mPFC neurons represent a heterogeneous population that may express CaMKIIa as well as different calcium-binding proteins, while some of their axonal terminals in the BF contain VGluT2 or are located in close apposition to PSD95-positive postsynaptic puncta. The majority of the postsynaptic targets were hDlx-expressing inhibitory neurons in the ventral pallidum. Together, these findings identify the BF as a key target in prefrontal control of affective functions, through which PrL and IL projections differentially regulate motivational state, valence processing, and fear memory.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1523\/jneurosci.0146-26.2026","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]],"date-time":"2026-07-28T17:55:15Z","timestamp":1785261315000},"page":"e0146262026","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1523\/jneurosci.crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Medial Prefrontal Cortex Innervation of the Basal Forebrain Regulates Behavioral Activation with Prelimbic and Infralimbic Projections Contributing to Distinct Affective Functions in 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