Kappa opioid receptor signaling in the basolateral amygdala regulates conditioned fear and anxiety in rats.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system contributes to the prodepressive and aversive consequences of stress and is implicated in the facilitation of conditioned fear and anxiety in rodents. Here, we sought to identify neural circuits that mediate KOR system effects on fear and anxiety in rats.

Methods

We assessed whether fear conditioning induces plasticity in KOR or dynorphin (the endogenous KOR ligand) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the basolateral (BLA) and central (CeA) nuclei of the amygdala, hippocampus, or striatum. We then assessed whether microinfusions of the KOR antagonist JDTic (0-10 μg/side) into the BLA or CeA affect the expression of conditioned fear or anxiety. Finally, we examined whether fear extinction induces plasticity in KOR mRNA expressi

SUBMITTER: Knoll AT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3150294 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature