Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013886 | Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior | 2008 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to characterize functional changes in the amygdala that accompany the extinction of context-dependent conditioned fear stress in a rat, an animal model of anxiety. Specifically, the effect of extinction of conditioned fear-induced cyclic AMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation in the amygdala was investigated using immunohistochemistry. Experiments demonstrated that CREB phosphorylation in the basal nucleus of the amygdala decreased with the extinction of context-dependent conditioned fear-induced freezing behavior. These data suggest that the basal nucleus of the amygdala plays an essential role in the expression of context-dependent conditioned fear. Further, this is the first study to demonstrate that CREB phosphorylation in the basal nucleus of the amygdala changes in parallel with the extinction of context-dependent conditioned fear.
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Authors
Takeshi Izumi, Takeshi Inoue, Akiko Kato, Yuji Kitaichi, Shin Nakagawa, Tsukasa Koyama,