Amygdalar NMDA receptors control the expression of associative reflex facilitation and three other conditional responses

Behav Neurosci. 2004 Feb;118(1):36-52. doi: 10.1037/0735-7044.118.1.36.

Abstract

Four conditional responses (CRs) were measured in rats implanted with bilateral cannulas in the basolateral nuclear complex of the amygdala (BLA). During retention testing in either the original training context or a shifted context, BLA was infused with artificial cerebral spinal fluid (ACSF) or ACSF containing an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist (APV). Regardless of the testing context, APV infusion into BLA completely blocked the expression of conditional eyeblink facilitation and significantly attenuated the expression of conditional freezing, ultrasonic vocalization, and defecation. Discriminant analysis found eyeblink facilitation to be comparable to freezing in predicting group membership (APV vs. ACSF) and both to be better predictors than the other two CRs. The APV effect did not depend on the exact cannula positions within BLA.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amygdala / drug effects
  • Amygdala / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Association Learning / drug effects
  • Association Learning / physiology*
  • Conditioning, Eyelid / drug effects
  • Conditioning, Eyelid / physiology*
  • Male
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / physiology*
  • Valine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Valine / pharmacology

Substances

  • Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
  • 2-amino-5-phosphopentanoic acid
  • Valine