Hunger Promotes Fear Extinction by Activation of an Amygdala Microcircuit.

ABSTRACT: Emotions control evolutionarily-conserved behavior that is central to survival in a natural environment. Imbalance within emotional circuitries, however, may result in malfunction and manifestation of anxiety disorders. Thus, a better understanding of emotional processes and, in particular, the interaction of the networks involved is of considerable clinical relevance. Although neurobiological substrates of emotionally controlled circuitries are increasingly evident, their mutual influences are not. To investigate interactions between hunger and fear, we performed Pavlovian fear conditioning in fasted wild-type mice and in mice with genetic modification of a feeding-related gene. Furthermore, we analyzed in these mice the electrophysiological microcircuits underlying fear extinction. Short

SUBMITTER: Verma D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4579557 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature