Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: There is considerable evidence that the amygdala is involved in the processing and expression of emotions, particularly fear.It would therefore be plausible to expect that amygdala-coded fear would also influence voluntary decisions on feeding and foraging in animals living in dangerous environments.The studies presented in this dissertation explore a functional role of the amygdala in rats living in a semi-naturalistic "closed economy" setting where all nutritional resources are procured at the risk of receiving random shocks in a foraging area.The first study revealed that amygdala-coded fear influences the animal's voluntary feeding behavior, but the amygdala is not necessary for the animal's voluntary avoidance of the foraging area.The second study showed that the amygdala is not necessary for either feeding or foraging behavior when the danger is signaled by a cue (predictable fear environment).The final study explores how amygdala-coded fear influences circadian rhythms in rats and how the amygdala interacts with the superchiasmatic nucleus to anticipate times of danger and safety.i Table of Contents Page Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………………….List of Figures ………………………………………………………………………………….. List of Tables …………………………………………………………………………………... Chapter I: Background and introduction ……………………………………………………….Chapter II: The amygdala guides fear associated decisions on feeding and foraging patterns… Chapter III: Is the amygdala necessary for aversive learning and memory....……………….. Chapter IV: Fear-associated changes to circadian rhythms…………………………………...
Author: Earnest Kim
Language: English
Topic: Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2282509020