New insights on amygdala : basomedial amygdala regulates the physiological response to social novelty.
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Date
2016
Authors
Mesquita, Laura Batista Tavares
Abreu, Aline Rezende Ribeiro de
Abreu, Alessandra Rezende Ribeiro de
Souza, Aline Maria Arlindo de
Noronha, Sylvana Izaura Salyba Rendeiro de
Silva, Fernanda Cacilda dos Santos
Campos, Glenda Siqueira Viggiano
Chianca Júnior, Deoclécio Alves
Menezes, Rodrigo Cunha Alvim de
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Abstract
The amygdala has been associated with a variety
of functions linked to physiological, behavioral and endocrine
responses during emotional situations. This brain
region is comprised of multiple sub-nuclei. These subnuclei
belong to the same structure, but may be involved
in different functions, thereby making the study of each
sub-nuclei important. Yet, the involvement of the basomedial
amygdala (BMA) in the regulation of emotional states
has yet to be defined. Therefore, the aim of our study was
to investigate the regulatory role of the BMA on the
responses evoked during a social novelty model and
whether the regulatory role depended on an interaction with
the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH). Our results showed
that the chemical inhibition of the BMA by the microinjection
of muscimol (c-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) agonist) promoted
increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart
rate (HR), whereas the chemical inhibition of regions near
the BMA did not induce such cardiovascular changes. In
contrast, the BMA chemical activation by the bilateral
microinjection of bicuculline methiodide (BMI; GABAA
antagonist), blocked the increases in MAP and HR observed
when an intruder rat was suddenly introduced into the cage
of a resident rat, and confined to the small cage for 15 min.
Additionally, the increase in HR and MAP induced by BMA
inhibition were eliminated by DMH chemical inhibition.
Thus, our data reveal that the BMA is under continuous
GABAergic influence, and that its hyperactivation can
reduce the physiological response induced by a social novelty
condition, possibly by inhibiting DMH neurons.
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Keywords
Social novelty basomedial amygdala, Dorsomedial hypothalamus, Intruder rat
Citation
MESQUITA, L. T. et al. New insights on amygdala: basomedial amygdala regulates the physiological response to social novelty. Neuroscience, v. 330, p. 181-190, 2016. Disponível em: <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306452216302123?via%3Dihub>. Acesso em: 15 set. 2017.