Superior colliculus lesions impair threat responsiveness in infant capuchin monkeys
Highlights
► The amygdala does not seem to be necessary for early stages of threat detection. ► Superior colliculi of infant capuchins were lesioned with ibotenic acid. ► Subjects were tested in a food-retrieval test with aversive stimulus. ► Lesioned monkeys showed no inhibition in the presence of snake-toy. ► Data indicate that superior colliculus is important to threat responsiveness.
Section snippets
Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by the JSPS Asian Core Program, and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (22240051). We thank C. Uribe for statistical advice, R. Miyasaka de Almeida for surgery anesthesia, and G.V. da Silva, A.P.N. da Silva and R.S. Oliveira for excellent animal care. R.S. Maior was recipient of a doctoral fellowship from CNPq, and M. Barros received a research fellowship from CNPq/Brazil (311621/2009-0).
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