Involvement of central amygdalar and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis corticotropin-releasing factor in behavioral responses to social defeat.
The authors investigated whether corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) within the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a critical component of the neural circuitry mediating conditioned defeat. In this model, hamsters that have experienced social defeat subsequently display only submissive-defensive agonistic behavior instead of territorial aggression. Conditioned defeat was significantly reduced following infusion of the CRF receptor antagonist D-Phe CRF((12-41)) into the BNST but not into the CeA. In another experiment, hamsters given unilateral lesions of the CeA and infusions of D-Phe CRF((12-41)) into the contralateral BNST displayed significantly less submissive behavior than did controls. These data suggest that CRF acts within a neural circuit that includes the amygdala and the BNST to modulate agonistic behavior following social defeat.
Jasnow
Aaron M
AM
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA. jasnowa@rockefeller.edu.
Davis
Michael
M
Huhman
Kim L
KL
D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; C113202:phenylalanyl corticotropin-releasing factor (12-41); D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone