The lateral hypothalamus and anterior hypothalamic nucleus differentially contribute to rats' defensive responses in the elevated plus-maze and shock-probe burying tests

Abstract Lesions or pharmacological inhibition of the lateral septum reduce rats' open-arm avoidance in the elevated plus-maze and their burying behavior in the shock-probe test. The current study examined whether hypothalamic areas that receive direct input from the lateral septum also influen...

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Veröffentlicht in:Physiology & behavior 2008-03, Vol.93 (4), p.697-705
Hauptverfasser: Hakvoort Schwerdtfeger, Rebecca M, Menard, Janet L
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Abstract Lesions or pharmacological inhibition of the lateral septum reduce rats' open-arm avoidance in the elevated plus-maze and their burying behavior in the shock-probe test. The current study examined whether hypothalamic areas that receive direct input from the lateral septum also influence open-arm avoidance and defensive burying. Bilateral infusions of the GABA-A receptor agonist muscimol (20 ng) into the lateral hypothalamus selectively increased rats' open-arm avoidance without affecting shock-probe burying. In contrast, infusions of muscimol into the anterior hypothalamic nucleus suppressed burying without affecting rats' open-arm avoidance. These dissociations suggest that the lateral hypothalamus contributes to the exploration of potentially threatening environments, whereas the anterior hypothalamus influences defensive responses to proximal discrete threat stimuli.
ISSN:0031-9384
1873-507X
DOI:10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.11.011