The basolateral amygdala regulates sensorimotor gating of acoustic startle in the rat
Section snippets
Animals
Male Sprague–Dawley rats (225–250 g) were housed in groups of two to three and maintained on a reversed 12 h:12 h light/dark schedule (lights off at 07.00) with food and water provided continuously. Behavioral testing occurred between 09.00 and 15.00, during the dark phase, when acoustic startle is most robust and least variable.[9]Rats were handled individually within three days of arrival. All surgery occurred between seven and 14 days after shipment arrival, using Equithesin anesthesia and a
Experiment 1: effects of quinolinic acid lesions of the basolateral amygdala on prepulse inhibition and fear-potentiated startle
This experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of quinolinic acid lesions of the BLA on sensorimotor gating and fear-potentiated startle. The effects of BLA lesions on PPI are seen in Fig. 1. PPI was significantly reduced after quinolinic acid lesions of the BLA. A two-way ANOVA using treatment (lesion group, n=14; sham group, n=15) as the between-subject factor with repeated measures on prepulse intensity revealed a significant effect of treatment (F1,27=37.66, P<0.001), a significant
Discussion
In the present study, cell-specific lesions of the BLA reduced PPI and fear-potentiated startle. This finding is consistent with a recent report that was published during the period of review of the present paper.[11]The PPI-disruptive effects of BLA lesions were not mediated via increased forebrain DA transmission at D2 receptors, since they were not opposed by DA D2 receptor blockade. NMDA-substrates in the BLA appear to critically regulate PPI, since intra-BLA infusion of the NMDA antagonist
Unlinked reference
[13]
Acknowledgements
These studies were supported by NIMH Awards MH-48381 and MH-42228, by funding from Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, and by an award from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (NRS). Fang-Jung Wan was supported by the National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. Excellent technical assistance was provided by Ms Pamela Auerbach and Mr Navid Taaid.
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