Restraint and Tailshock Stress
Objective: To examine the role of the amygdala in mediating stress effects on hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory, specifically testing whether an intact amygdala is necessary for stress-induced modulation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and learning
This is a Restraint and Tailshock Stress protocol using rat as the model organism. The procedure involves 7 procedural steps, 5 equipment items. Extracted from a 2001 paper published in Journal of Neuroscience.
Model and subjects
rat • Not specified • unknown • Not specified • Not specified
Study window
Estimated timing pending
Core workflow
Amygdala lesion surgery • Stress exposure • Hippocampal slice preparation
Primary readouts
- Long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal slices
- Retention performance on hidden platform Morris water maze task
- Acquisition performance on visible platform Morris water maze task
- Corticosterone secretion levels
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Amygdala lesion surgery
Electrolytic lesions were created in the amygdala of experimental animals
Note: This was performed on some animals; control animals did not receive lesions
View evidence from paper
“Electrolytic lesions of the amygdala effectively blocked the adverse physiological and behavioral effects of restraint and tailshock stress”
Stress exposure
Animals were exposed to restraint and tailshock stress
Note: Stressed animals were compared to unstressed control animals
View evidence from paper
“restraint and tailshock stress, without impeding the increase in corticosterone secretion to stress”
Hippocampal slice preparation
Hippocampal slices were prepared from stressed animals, stressed animals with amygdalar lesions, and unstressed control animals
Note: Slices were used for electrophysiological recording
View evidence from paper
“hippocampal slices from stressed animals exhibited impaired LTP relative to slices from unstressed control animals, whereas hippocampal slices from stressed animals with amygdalar lesions exhibited normal LTP”
Long-term potentiation (LTP) recording
Electrophysiological recordings were made from hippocampal slices to measure LTP
Note: LTP was compared across three groups: stressed, stressed with amygdalar lesions, and unstressed controls
View evidence from paper
“hippocampal slices from stressed animals exhibited impaired LTP relative to slices from unstressed control animals, whereas hippocampal slices from stressed animals with amygdalar lesions exhibited normal LTP”
Morris water maze - hidden platform task
Animals were tested on a hippocampal-dependent hidden platform version of the Morris water maze to assess spatial learning and memory retention
Note: This task measures hippocampal-dependent memory
View evidence from paper
“stressed animals were impaired in retention of a hippocampal-dependent hidden platform version of the Morris water maze task, and this impairment was blocked by amygdalar lesions”
Morris water maze - visible platform task
Animals were tested on a fixed location–visible platform water maze task that can be acquired by independent hippocampal and nonhippocampal memory systems
Note: This task measures the relative contribution of hippocampal versus nonhippocampal memory systems
View evidence from paper
“In a fixed location–visible platform water maze task that can be acquired by independent hippocampal and nonhippocampal memory systems, stress enhanced the use of nonhippocampal-based memory to acquire the task”
Corticosterone measurement
Corticosterone levels were measured in response to stress
Note: Measured to verify that amygdalar lesions did not prevent the hormonal stress response
View evidence from paper
“without impeding the increase in corticosterone secretion to stress”