Source Paper
Active Avoidance Requires a Serial Basal Amygdala to Nucleus Accumbens Shell Circuit
Franchesca Ramirez, Justin M. Moscarello, Joseph E. LeDoux, Robert M. Sears
Journal of Neuroscience • 2015
Active Avoidance Behavior Task
Objective: To assess active avoidance behavior in rats by training them to shuttle during an auditory conditioned stimulus to avoid shock, and to determine the neural circuitry necessary for this behavior
Gather these items before starting the experiment. Check off items as you prepare.
Equipment1
Not specified • Not specified • Not specified • Not specified
1 item available from ConductScience
Estimated: $6,900.00
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Product links help support this free resource.
Protocol Steps
Active Avoidance Training
Rats were trained to avoid shock by shuttling between compartments during presentation of an auditory conditioned stimulus
Note: This is a two-way signaled active avoidance task
View evidence from paper
“Rats trained to avoid shock by shuttling during an auditory conditioned stimulus showed increased expression of the activity-dependent protein c-Fos in the NAcc”
Neural Activity Assessment
Measurement of c-Fos expression in nucleus accumbens shell (NAccSh) following active avoidance training
Note: c-Fos is an activity-dependent protein used as a marker of neural activity
View evidence from paper
“Rats trained to avoid shock by shuttling during an auditory conditioned stimulus showed increased expression of the activity-dependent protein c-Fos in the NAcc, specifically the shell subregion”
NAccSh Inactivation
Silencing of neural activity in the nucleus accumbens shell to test its necessity for avoidance behavior
Note: Inactivation of NAccSh disrupted avoidance behavior
View evidence from paper
“Silencing neural activity in the NAccSh, but not in the adjacent NAcc core, disrupted avoidance behavior”
BA-NAccSh Circuit Disconnection
Disconnection of the basal amygdala (BA) and nucleus accumbens shell circuit to assess circuit necessity
Note: Disconnection was as effective at disrupting avoidance behavior as bilateral NAccSh inactivations
View evidence from paper
“Disconnection of the BA and the NAccSh was just as effective at disrupting avoidance behavior as bilateral NAccSh inactivations”