雖然焦慮是一種普遍存在之情感性心智活動，迄今仍無充份解釋之實證資料。本研究主要是利用一種焦慮症相關的動物模式，即抬高式T形迷津，探討與焦慮症有關的神經行為機制。整部研究分兩大實驗，分別探討抬高式T形迷津的行為建構動力與破壞依核次級區域在抬高式T形迷津或其他焦慮作業上之行為表現。在實驗一檢驗抬高式T形迷津的行為內涵方面，共有四個實驗：實驗一A探討抬高式T形迷津抑制性躲避行為是否呈現消除現象；實驗一B探討破壞制約害怕神經網路對抬高式T形迷津之抑制性躲避行為的影響，並檢測自發性運動量的改變是否造成干擾效果；實驗一C探討事前暴露經驗對脫逃行為的意義；實驗一D檢測脫逃及抑制性躲避實驗程序互相干擾之可能性。實驗二探討可能涉及抬高式T形迷津或其他焦慮作業的神經機制，針對破壞依核次級區域對焦慮行為的影響進行檢測。此部分包含三個實驗，實驗二A探討依核次級區域受損對傳統焦慮動物模式抬高式十字迷津行為的影響；實驗二B採用已在實驗一建立行為效度的抬高式T形迷津，檢驗破壞依核次級區域後的迷津行為表現，並檢驗依核次級區域受損是否影響受試自發性運動量變化，以致干擾抬高式T形迷津的行為表現。另為深入探討依核的功能角色，實驗二C利用其他嫌惡作業測試破壞依核次級區域對制約躲避電擊行為的影響。實驗一結果顯示抑制性躲避行為是一包含制約害怕及探索行為等多重歷程的行為模式，而脫逃行為對情緒狀態的改變不敏感，且易受抑制性躲避作業的影響。實驗二發現破壞依核殼區同時減抑受試在抬高式十字迷津的危機評估行為、抬高式T形迷津之抑制性躲避行為及制約躲避電擊行為；而破壞依核核區的減抑效果僅見於抬高式T形迷津與制約躲避電擊作業。三個嫌惡作業的結果顯示依核核區與殼區皆涉及制約害怕歷程，但兩區的受損會表現不同焦慮行為，並在抬高式十字迷津之危機評估行為中表現出來。綜合上述二大部分實驗結果，本研究對抬高式T形迷津的行為內涵有更進一步的瞭解，並特別藉依核次級區域破壞的行為測試資料，推估中腦多巴胺系統與傳統理論所指邊緣系統在實證性解釋焦慮具同樣關鍵角色。 / Although anxiety is a well-recognized affective mental reaction, its phenomenon is not fully characterized by the empirical data. By employing a recently developed animal model named the elevated T maze (ETM), the present study investigated the neurobehavioral mechanisms of anxiety. There were two major parts of experiments designed to respectively examine the validity of this task and the involvement of limbic related areas on anxious behavior. Regarding the first part of experiments, Experiment 1A examined the effects of extinction on the inhibitory avoidance of ETM; Experiment 1B evaluated the lesions of six limbic related areas on the measures of inhibitory avoidance and escape; Experiment 1C investigated how pre-exposure experience of stress would affect the ETM behavior; Experiment 1D tested the potential affectiveness derived from different sequences of the test procedure on EMT. The second part of experiments mainly focused on comparing the lesion effects of nucleus accumbens subareas (core and shell) on behavioral measures from three anxiety-related tasks. Elevated plus maze, ETM, and active avoidance were adopted respectively in the experiments of 2A, 2B, and 2C. Results of the first part of experiments indicated 1) inhibitory avoidance of ETM containing fear conditioning and exploration components, and 2) less sensitivity to experimental manipulation for the escape of ETM. In the second part of experiments, the shell lesion significant attenuated the risk assessment behavior of elevated plus maze and inhibitory avoidance of ETM and active avoidance tasks, whereas the core lesion only produced the latter part of impairment. Both core and shell subareas are thus inferred to be involved in the conditioned avoidance, and lesions of these two areas may exert different patterns of anxious behavior. Together, the present study further characterized behavioral components of ETM. With a more systemic work in comparing lesion data of nucleus accumbens over three anxiety-related tasks, it is then suggested that the midbrain dopamine system is as crucial as the traditionally-known limbic system the traditional in terms of providing empirical explanation for the anxiety.

Extensos dados na literatura têm assinalado a importância da serotonina (5-HT) na modulação de comportamentos de medo e ansiedade em roedores, a grande maioria utilizando ratos machos como sujeitos experimentais. No presente trabalho, foi analisada a influência da neurotransmissão 5-HT periférica e central sobre a expressão da resposta de medo condicionado e incondicionado de ratos machos e fêmeas, previamente selecionados pelo fenótipo como animais de baixa (BA) ou de alta (AA) reatividade emocional. Para este fim foi utilizado o teste do sobressalto potencializado pelo medo (SPM). A influência global e central de 5-HT foi avaliada pela utilização da administração sistêmica ou intraventricular aguda do inibidor irreversível da enzima triptofano hidroxilase PCPA (p-clorofenilalanina) nas doses de 200 mg/mL (i.p.) e 200 µg/5 µL (i.v.), ou através de infusões locais de 5-HT (10 nmol/0.2 µL) ou do agonista seletivo de receptores 5-HT1A 8-hidroxi-2-(di-n-propilamino)-tetralina (8-OH-DPAT) na dose de 0,3 µg/0.2 µL, diretamente em áreas encefálicas conhecidas por sua influência na modulação do medo e ansiedade a saber: o córtex pré-limbico (CPL), o núcleo basolateral da amígdala (BLA), e a substância cinzenta periaqueductal dorsal (SCPd) do mesencéfalo. As variáveis dependentes registradas foram a amplitude e a latência das respostas incondicionadas e condicionadas de sobressalto e a amplitude do SPM. / Extensive data in the literature have signaled the importance of serotonin (5-HT) on the modulation of fear and anxiety-like behaviors in rodents. In the present study, we have analyzed the influence of peripheral and central 5-HT neurotransmission on the expression of the conditioned and unconditioned fear, and on the fear-potentiated startle in male and female rats previously selected as low- (LA) or high-anxiety (HA). For this purpose, we used the fear-potentiated startle (FPS) test. The global and central influence of 5-HT was evaluated by using the acute systemic or intraventricular administration of the irreversible tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor PCPA (p-chlorophenylalanine - 200 mg/mL i.p., or 200 µg/5 µL i.v.). Local effects were evaluated through local infusions of 5-HT itself (10 nmol/0.2 µL) or the selective 5-HT1A receptors agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT 0.3 µg/0.2 µL) in the prelimbic cortex (PrL), basolateral amygdala (BLA) or the dorsal periaqueductal gray (DPAG). These brain regions were chosen for the present study based on their great importance in the modulation and expression of conditioned and unconditioned fear. Dependent variables recorded were the amplitude and latency of unconditioned and conditioned fear, and fear-potentiated startle (FPS).

Extensos dados na literatura têm assinalado a importância da serotonina (5-HT) na modulação de comportamentos de medo e ansiedade em roedores, a grande maioria utilizando ratos machos como sujeitos experimentais. No presente trabalho, foi analisada a influência da neurotransmissão 5-HT periférica e central sobre a expressão da resposta de medo condicionado e incondicionado de ratos machos e fêmeas, previamente selecionados pelo fenótipo como animais de baixa (BA) ou de alta (AA) reatividade emocional. Para este fim foi utilizado o teste do sobressalto potencializado pelo medo (SPM). A influência global e central de 5-HT foi avaliada pela utilização da administração sistêmica ou intraventricular aguda do inibidor irreversível da enzima triptofano hidroxilase PCPA (p-clorofenilalanina) nas doses de 200 mg/mL (i.p.) e 200 µg/5 µL (i.v.), ou através de infusões locais de 5-HT (10 nmol/0.2 µL) ou do agonista seletivo de receptores 5-HT1A 8-hidroxi-2-(di-n-propilamino)-tetralina (8-OH-DPAT) na dose de 0,3 µg/0.2 µL, diretamente em áreas encefálicas conhecidas por sua influência na modulação do medo e ansiedade a saber: o córtex pré-limbico (CPL), o núcleo basolateral da amígdala (BLA), e a substância cinzenta periaqueductal dorsal (SCPd) do mesencéfalo. As variáveis dependentes registradas foram a amplitude e a latência das respostas incondicionadas e condicionadas de sobressalto e a amplitude do SPM. / Extensive data in the literature have signaled the importance of serotonin (5-HT) on the modulation of fear and anxiety-like behaviors in rodents. In the present study, we have analyzed the influence of peripheral and central 5-HT neurotransmission on the expression of the conditioned and unconditioned fear, and on the fear-potentiated startle in male and female rats previously selected as low- (LA) or high-anxiety (HA). For this purpose, we used the fear-potentiated startle (FPS) test. The global and central influence of 5-HT was evaluated by using the acute systemic or intraventricular administration of the irreversible tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor PCPA (p-chlorophenylalanine - 200 mg/mL i.p., or 200 µg/5 µL i.v.). Local effects were evaluated through local infusions of 5-HT itself (10 nmol/0.2 µL) or the selective 5-HT1A receptors agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT 0.3 µg/0.2 µL) in the prelimbic cortex (PrL), basolateral amygdala (BLA) or the dorsal periaqueductal gray (DPAG). These brain regions were chosen for the present study based on their great importance in the modulation and expression of conditioned and unconditioned fear. Dependent variables recorded were the amplitude and latency of unconditioned and conditioned fear, and fear-potentiated startle (FPS).