scholarly journals Role of the Hippocampus, the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis, and the Amygdala in the Excitatory Effect of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone on the Acoustic Startle Reflex

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (16) ◽  
pp. 6434-6446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Younglim Lee ◽  
Michael Davis
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Startle Reflex ◽  
Acoustic Startle Reflex ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Corticotropin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Excitatory Effect ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Releasing Hormone

scholarly journals Corticotropin-releasing hormone signals adversity in both the placenta and the brain: regulation by glucocorticoids and allostatic overload

1999 ◽  
Vol 161 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Schulkin
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Preterm Labor ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Corticotropin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Hormone Signals

Glucocorticoids regulate corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) gene expression in the placenta and the brain. In both the placenta and two extrahypothalamic sites in the brain (the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis), glucocorticoids elevate CRH gene expression. One functional role of the elevation of CRH by glucocorticoids may be to signal adversity. When CRH is over-expressed in the placenta, it may indicate that the pregnancy is in danger, and preterm labor may result. When CRH is over-expressed in the brains of animals, they may become more fearful. Both situations possibly reflect allostatic mechanisms and vulnerability to allostatic overload, a condition in which biological tissue may be compromised.

scholarly journals Amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis: differential roles in fear and anxiety measured with the acoustic startle reflex

1997 ◽  
Vol 352 (1362) ◽  
pp. 1675-1687 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Michael Davis ◽  
David L. Walker ◽  
Younglim Lee
Keyword(s):  
Excitatory Amino Acid ◽  
Conditioned Fear ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Reflex ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Amino Acid Receptors ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Behavioural Tests ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

Neural stimuli associated with traumatic events can readily become conditioned so as to reinstate the memory of the original trauma. These conditioned fear responses can last a lifetime and may be especially resistant to extinction. A large amount of data from many different laboratories indicate that the amygdala plays a crucial role in conditioned fear. The amygdala receives information from all sensory modalities and projects to a variety of hypothalamic and brainstem target areas known to be critically involved in specific signs that are used to define fear and anxiety. Electrical stimulation of the amygdala elicits a pattern of behaviours that mimic natural or conditioned states of fear. Lesions of the amygdala block innate or conditioned fear and local infusion of drugs into the amygdala have anxiolytic effects in several behavioural tests. Excitatory amino acid receptors in the amygdala are critical for the acquisition, expression and extinction of conditioned fear.

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