Synaptic plasticity in the amygdala is thought to underlie aversive or rewarding learning and emotional memories. In this study, different mechanisms were found to underlie synaptic plasticity in lateral (LA) and basolateral (BLA) amygdala pathways to the primary output nucleus of the amygdala, the central amygdala (CeA). Specifically, 1) long-term potentiation (LTP) at the BLA-CeA synapses was...

  In this study, the effect of an experimentally increased excitability in hippocampal neurons, via hippocampal kindling, on amygdala kindling rate was investigated in rats. Animals were divided into 4 groups. In all groups, except group 2, tripolar electrodes were implanted in the amygdala and CAI region of the dorsal hippocampus. Group 2 animals were only implanted with tripolar electrodes in...

INTRODUCTION Visual processing of ecologically relevant stimuli involves a central bias for stimuli demanding detailed processing (e.g., faces), whereas peripheral object processing is based on coarse identification. Fast detection of animal shapes holding a significant phylogenetic value, such as snakes, may benefit from peripheral vision. The amygdala together with the pulvinar and the superi...

Maladaptive responses to pain-related distress, such as pain catastrophizing, amplify the impairments associated with chronic pain. Many of these aspects of chronic pain are similar to affective distress in clinical anxiety disorders. In light of the role of the amygdala in pain and affective distress, disruption of amygdalar functional connectivity in anxiety states, and its implication in the...

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...

The amygdala is a key region for the processing of information underlying fear, anxiety, and fear extinction. Within the local neuronal networks of the amygdala, a population of inhibitory, intercalated neurons (ITCs) modulates the flow of information among various nuclei of amygdala, including the basal nucleus (BA) and the centromedial nucleus (CeM) of the amygdala. These ITCs have been shown...

We investigated the involvement of the hippocampal formation and the amygdala in the acquisition and expression of the amphetamine-produced conditioned place preference (CPP). Animals were conditioned in four sessions that included two pairings of d-amphetamine (2.0 mg/kg, s.c.) with one of two distinct compartments and two pairings of vehicle with the other compartment in a counterbalanced man...