Increased levels of dopamine release in the basolateral amygdala as a result of stressful situations during infancy could lead to lasting behavioral issues and social difficulties, a new study reports.
Researchers have identified a pre-programmed neural circuit in the basolateral amygdala of mice that processes both positive and negative stimuli.
Allopregnanolone, a neuroactive steroid used in the treatment of postpartum depression, alters neural communication in the basolateral amygdala, an area of the brain associated with emotion and mood regulation. The drug may alter the network associated with chronic stress, which may explain its persistent antidepressant effect.
Learning to avoid certain tastes depends on the long term reduction in activity the connections between threat and taste sensors in the brain.
Study reveals how two neural circuits dictate the choice between social approach and avoidance. The network connecting the infralimbic cortex to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) impairs social behavior if there is a decrease in neural activity. Another network connecting the prelimbic cortex to the BLA similarly impairs social behavior if the neural activity is increased.
Corticotropin-releasing factor and neuropeptide Y work in synchronized opposition to each other to remodel and rewire neurons in the amygdala as a response to stress. The process, researchers say, can be manually reversed to help relieve anxiety.
Memory encoding processes important for decision making begin in the basolateral amygdala. The basolateral amygdala then creates cellular memories in the nucleus accumbens. The findings shed light on the learned connection between stimuli and reward.
Female rats that experienced early life adversity developed abnormal connections between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex in response to neglect.
Fear extinction memories and feelings of reward are both stored in neurons that express the Ppp1r1b gene in the posterior of the basolateral amygdala.
Dysfunction in a brain pathway that usually keeps compulsive drinking in check may play a critical role in alcohol use disorder.
A new study reports exposure to cannabis and stress during the teenage years may result in an increased risk of developing anxiety disorders later in life.
Researchers report pyramidal neurons in the basolateral amygdala help us to recognize and categorize foods.
