Biological Psychology Commons^™

Effects Of 5-Ht1a Receptors On The Development Of Stress-Induced Changes In Behavior, Lauren Renee Bader

Masters Theses

Social defeat leads to both increased anxiety-like behavior and the formation of a fear memory for a specific opponent. We have shown that serotonin (5-HT) signaling, particularly in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), alters the acquisition of the conditioned defeat response in Syrian hamsters. While activation of 5-HT1A receptors impairs the acquisition of conditioned defeat, it is unclear whether these receptors alter the development of anxiety-like behavior or formation of fear memories. One method for investigating the formation of defeat-induced fear memories is to measure avoidance of former opponents, and many researchers have reliably used the open field as a measure …