Early adolescent adversity alters periaqueductal gray/dorsal raphe threat responding in adult female rats.

ABSTRACT: Early adolescent adversity increases adult risk for anxiety disorders. The ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) and neighboring dorsal raphe (DR) are integral to threat prediction, and are responsive to acute stressors. Here, we tested the hypothesis that early adolescent adversity reshapes vlPAG/DR threat-related cue activity and threat probability signaling. Female, Long Evans rats experienced a battery of adverse adolescent experiences (n = 12), while controls did not (n = 8). Single-unit activity was recorded 50 + days following the final adverse experience, when the adult rats received fear discrimination consisting of danger, uncertainty and safety cues. Despite achieving fear discrimination that was equivalent to controls, vlPAG/DR threat responding was altered in adverse-exper

SUBMITTER: Moaddab M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7582948 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature