RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Amygdalar Lesions Block Discriminative Avoidance Learning and Cingulothalamic Training-Induced Neuronal Plasticity in Rabbits
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 5237
OP 5244
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.17-13-05237.1997
VO 17
IS 13
A1 Amy Poremba
A1 Michael Gabriel
YR 1997
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/17/13/5237.abstract
AB Learning to fear dangerous situations requires the participation of neurons of the amygdala. Here it is shown that amygdalar neurons are also involved in learning to avoid dangerous situations. Amygdalar lesions severely impaired the acquisition of acoustically cued, discriminative instrumental avoidance behavior of rabbits. In addition, the development of anterior cingulate cortical and medial dorsal thalamic training-induced neuronal plasticity in the early stages of behavioral acquisition was blocked in rabbits with lesions. The development of training-induced neuronal plasticity in the medial dorsal and anterior thalamic nuclei in late stages of behavioral acquisition was also blocked in rabbits with lesions. These results indicate that the integrity of the amygdala is essential for the establishment of both early and late training-induced cingulothalamic neuronal plasticity. It is hypothesized that amygdalar training-induced neuronal plasticity in the initial trials of conditioning represents a substrate of learned fear, essential for the early and late cingulothalamic plasticity that is involved in mediation of acquisition of the instrumental avoidance response.