Predator stress induces behavioral inhibition and amygdala somatostatin receptor 2 gene expression.

ABSTRACT: Psychological stressors precipitate and maintain stress-induced psychopathology, and it is likely that altered amygdala function underlies some of the deleterious effects of psychological stress. To understand the mechanisms underlying the linkage between the response to psychological stressors and maladaptive or psychopathological responses, we have focused on amygdala responsivity in animal models employing species-specific psychological stressors. In the present study, we characterized the effects of a 15-min exposure to a natural predator, the ferret, on rat behavior and the expression of the somatostatin family of genes in the amygdala. We examined the somatostatin family of genes because substantial evidence shows that central somatostatin systems are altered in various neuropsychiat

SUBMITTER: Nanda SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2776032 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature