The central amygdala modulates distinctive conflict-like behaviors in a naturalistic foraging task

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Jeansok J. Kim¹  June-Seek Choi²  Sunwhi Kimm² 

[1] Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States;School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;

关键词: conflict;    predator;    defensive behavior;    amygdala;    foraging;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1212884

 received in 2023-04-27, accepted in 2023-07-17,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Conflict situations elicit a diverse range of behaviors that extend beyond the simplistic approach or avoidance dichotomy. However, many conflict-related studies have primarily focused on approach suppression, neglecting the complexity of these behaviors. In our study, we exposed rats to a semi-naturalistic foraging task, presenting them with a trade-off between a food reward and a predatory threat posed by a robotic agent. We observed that rats displayed two conflict-like behaviors (CLBs)—diagonal approach and stretched posture—when facing a robotic predator guarding a food pellet. After electrolytic lesions to the central amygdala (CeA), both conflict behaviors were significantly reduced, accompanied by a decrease in avoidance behavior (hiding) and an increase in approach behavior (frequency of interactions with the robot). A significant negative correlation between avoidance and approach behaviors emerged after the CeA lesion; however, our data suggest that CLBs are not tightly coupled with either approach or avoidance behaviors, showing no significant correlation to those behaviors. Our findings indicate that the CeA plays a crucial role in modulating conflict behaviors, competing with approach suppression in risky situations.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Kimm, Kim and Choi.