In a recent study, we demonstrated that rats prefer mutual rewards in a Prosocial Choice Task. Here, employing the same task, we show that the integrity of basolateral amygdala was necessary for the expression of mutual reward preferences. Actor rats received bilateral excitotoxic (n=12) or sham lesions (n=10) targeting the basolateral amygdala and were subsequently tested in a Prosocial Choice...

Stress can precipitate onset of multiple mood-related disorders, including depression. Examination of the neural basis of this phenomenon has highlighted the amygdala as a key component. Alterations in amygdalar activity and structure accompany various mood-related disorders, and interestingly, amygdalar morphology and behavior can be altered in animals subjected to repeated stress. Gamma-amino...

We have recently demonstrated that chronic ethanol ingestion alters the functional and pharmacological properties of GABAA receptors measured in acutely isolated rat lateral/basolateral amygdala neurons, a limbic forebrain region involved with fear-learning and innate anxiety. To understand relevance of these results in the context of primates, we have examined the effects of long-term ethanol ...

BACKGROUND Serotonin and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission is crucial in coping strategies. METHODS Here, using mice from 2 inbred strains widely exploited in behavioral neurochemistry, we investigated whether serotonin transmission in medial prefrontal cortex and GABA in basolateral amygdala determine strain-dependent liability to stress response and differences in coping. RESULTS C5...

Mutations in phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders including autism. Previous studies report that PTEN knockdown in neurons in vivo leads to increased spine density and synaptic activity. To better characterize synaptic changes in neurons lacking PTEN, we examined the effects of shRNA knockdown of PTEN in basolateral amygdala...

It is well established that the basolateral amygdala is critically involved in the association between an unconditioned stimulus (US), such as a foot shock, and a conditioned stimulus (CS), such as a light, during classic fear conditioning. However, little is known about how the US (pain) inputs are relayed to the basolateral amygdala. The present studies were designed to define potential US pa...

gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the primary inhibitory transmitter in the mammalian brain. This inhibition is mediated by type A (GABA(A)) receptors that are pentameric proteins assembled from 14 different subunits. Although inhibitory synaptic transmission has been studied in the amygdala, the subunit composition of receptors present at different synapses is not well understood. In this stud...

introduction: considering the antiepileptogenic effects of repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rtms), the effect of rtms applied during amygdala kindling on spontaneous activity of hippocampal ca1 pyramidal neurons was investigated. materials and methods: a tripolar electrode was inserted in basolateral amygdala of male wistar rats. after a recovery period, animals received daily kindli...