Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2845533 | Physiology & Behavior | 2008 | 9 Pages |
Lesions or pharmacological inhibition of the lateral septum reduce rats' open-arm avoidance in the elevated plus-maze and their burying behavior in the shock-probe test. The current study examined whether hypothalamic areas that receive direct input from the lateral septum also influence open-arm avoidance and defensive burying. Bilateral infusions of the GABA-A receptor agonist muscimol (20 ng) into the lateral hypothalamus selectively increased rats' open-arm avoidance without affecting shock-probe burying. In contrast, infusions of muscimol into the anterior hypothalamic nucleus suppressed burying without affecting rats' open-arm avoidance. These dissociations suggest that the lateral hypothalamus contributes to the exploration of potentially threatening environments, whereas the anterior hypothalamus influences defensive responses to proximal discrete threat stimuli.