Experiments/Fear-Potentiated Startle Testing

Source Paper

Double Dissociation between the Involvement of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis and the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala in Startle Increases Produced by Conditioned versus Unconditioned Fear

David L. Walker, Michael Davis

Journal of Neuroscience • 1997

DOI PMC

Fear-Potentiated Startle Testing

behavioralratNot specified

Objective: Measure acoustic startle response amplitude enhancement in the presence of cues previously paired with shock (fear-potentiated startle) to examine neuroanatomical substrates of conditioned fear responses

This is a Fear-Potentiated Startle Testing protocol using rat as the model organism. The procedure involves 4 procedural steps, 4 equipment items, 2 materials. Extracted from a 1997 paper published in Journal of Neuroscience.

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Replication Essentials

Model and subjects

rat • Not specified • Not specified • Not specified • Not specified • Not specified

Study window

Estimated timing pending

Core workflow

Fear conditioning with shock-paired cues • Intracranial drug infusion • Fear-potentiated startle testing

Primary readouts

Acoustic startle response amplitude in presence of fear-conditioned cues
Acoustic startle response amplitude in presence of bright light
Comparison of startle enhancement between conditioned and unconditioned fear conditions
Effects of AMPA receptor antagonist infusions on startle responses

Key equipment and reagents

Acoustic startle response measurement apparatus

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Protocol Steps

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Fear conditioning with shock-paired cues

Rats are exposed to cues that are paired with electrical shock to establish conditioned fear associations

Not specifiedNot specified

Note: This establishes the fear-eliciting stimulus for later testing

View evidence from paper

“in the presence of cues previously paired with shock (fear-potentiated startle)”

Intracranial drug infusion

Immediately before testing, rats receive intracranial infusions of either AMPA receptor antagonist (3 µg) or PBS vehicle control into target brain regions

Immediately before testingNot specified

Note: Infusions target basolateral nucleus of amygdala, central nucleus of amygdala, or bed nucleus of stria terminalis

View evidence from paper

“Immediately before light-enhanced or fear-potentiated startle testing, rats received intracranial infusions of the AMPA receptor antagonist 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulphamoylbenzo(F)-quinoxaline (3 µg) or PBS”