title: Injections of the somatostatin receptor type 2 agonist L-054,264 into the amygdala block expression but not acquisition of conditioned fear in rats.
abstract: The amygdala is a crucial brain site for acquisition and expression of conditioned fear. Neuropeptides such as somatostatin play a critical role in regulating the activity of the amygdala. In the present study, the specific somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) agonist L-054,264 was injected into the amygdala of rats either before fear acquisition or before the expression test on conditioned fear measured by fear-potentiated startle. L-054,264 injections strongly attenuated fear expression but did not affect fear acquisition. This suggests that amygdaloid SSTR2 plays an important role in the modulation of fear memory expression.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Evelyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kahl
authors.affiliation: Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Center of Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany. Electronic address: markus.fendt@med.ovgu.de.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fendt
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005239:Fear / Q000187:drug effects*; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin / Q000819:agonists* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007211:Indoles; C112853:L 54264; D010880:Piperidines; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin; C115977:Sstr2 protein, rat
keywords: Anxiety; SSTR2; startle response