Aggressive behavior induced by electrical stimulation in the midbrain central gray of male rats

Mos, J.; Kruk, Menno R.; Poel, A. M. Der Van; Meelis, W.

doi:10.1002/1098-2337(1982)8:3<261::aid-ab2480080304>3.0.co;2-n

Cited by 56 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Electrical stimulation of the PAG induces defensive rage in cats, and attack in the rat (Mos et al ., 1982). Although attack cannot be elicited easily from this area in the rat, its involvement in mediating aggression has been established (Bandler et al ., 1991).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural background of glucocorticoid dysfunction‐induced abnormal aggression in rats: involvement of fear‐ and stress‐related structures

Halász

Liposits

Kruk

et al. 2002

Eur J of Neuroscience

101

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Glucocorticoid hypofunction is associated with persistent aggression in some psychologically disordered human subjects and, as reported recently, induces abnormal forms of aggression in rats. Here we report on the effects of glucocorticoid hypofunction on aggression-induced neural activation. Rats were adrenalectomized, and implanted with low-release glucocorticoid pellets. After one week recovery, they were challenged by an unfamiliar intruder in their home-cage. Neural activation was studied by c-Fos protein immunocytochemistry. Aggressive encounters in controls induced c-Fos activation in all brain areas relevant for the control of aggression (cortex, amygdala, septum, hypothalamus, periaqueductal grey and the locus coeruleus). Very intense c-Fos activation was observed in the medial amygdala, the hypothalamic attack area and the periaqueductal grey matter which constitute a downward stimulatory stream that activates attack behaviour. The experimentally induced glucocorticoid hypofunction dramatically increased attacks targeted towards vulnerable parts of the opponent's body (mainly the head). This abnormal behaviour was not associated with changes in the activation of brain centres involved in the control of aggression. However, the activation of brain centres involved in both the stress response (the parvocellular part of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus) and fear reactions (central amygdala) were markedly increased. An acute glucocorticoid treatment abolished both behavioural and neural consequences of glucocorticoid hypofunction. Our data suggest that glucocorticoid hypofunction-induced abnormal forms of aggressiveness are related to increased sensitivity to stressors and fear-eliciting stimuli. This assumption is supported by the finding that fearful situations induce attack patterns in intact rats that are similar to those induced by glucocorticoid hypofunction.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural background of glucocorticoid dysfunction‐induced abnormal aggression in rats: involvement of fear‐ and stress‐related structures

Halász

Liposits

Kruk

et al. 2002

Eur J of Neuroscience

101

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“…In lactating female rats the PAG appears to modulate nursing as well as aggression (Lonstein and Stern, 1997). Similarly, PAG stimulation elicits aggressive behavior in rats and cats (Mos et al, 1982;Bandler and Carrive, 1988). The PAG also plays a role in receptivity, as lesions lead to deficits in lordosis (Floody and O'Donohue, 1980).…”

Section: Periaqueductal Gray/central Gray (Pag/cg) Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Vertebrate mesolimbic reward system and social behavior network: A comparative synthesis

O’Connell

Hofmann

2011

J of Comparative Neurology

873

879

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All animals evaluate the salience of external stimuli and integrate them with internal physiological information into adaptive behavior. Natural and sexual selection impinge on these processes, yet our understanding of behavioral decision-making mechanisms and their evolution is still very limited. Insights from mammals indicate that two neural circuits are of crucial importance in this context: the social behavior network and the mesolimbic reward system. Here we review evidence from neurochemical, tract-tracing, developmental, and functional lesion/stimulation studies that delineates homology relationships for most of the nodes of these two circuits across the five major vertebrate lineages: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and teleost fish. We provide for the first time a comprehensive comparative analysis of the two neural circuits and conclude that they were already present in early vertebrates. We also propose that these circuits form a larger social decision-making (SDM) network that regulates adaptive behavior. Our synthesis thus provides an important foundation for understanding the evolution of the neural mechanisms underlying reward processing and behavioral regulation. J. Comp. Neurol. 519:3599-3639, 2011. INDEXING TERMS: social behavior; comparative neuroanatomy; amphibian; reptile; bird; teleost; reward system; social behavior network; limbic system; neural circuitsThroughout their lives, all animals constantly face situations that provide either challenges (e.g., aggression, predation) or opportunities (e.g., reproduction, foraging, habitat selection) (for a detailed review, see O'Connell and Hofmann, 2011). In all cases, environmental cues are processed by sensory systems into a meaningful biological signal while internal physiological cues (e.g., condition, maturity) and prior experience are integrated at the same time. This process usually results in behavioral actions that are adaptive, i.e., beneficial to the animal. To accomplish this, an animal's nervous system must evaluate the salience of a stimulus and elicit a context-appropriate behavioral response. Despite tremendous progress in understanding the ecology and evolution of social behavior (Lorenz, 1952;Tinbergen, 1963;Lehrman, 1965;von Frisch, 1967;Krebs and Davies, 1993;Stephens, 2008), it is less understood where in the brain these decisions (e.g., about mate choice or territory defense) are made and how these brain circuits have arisen over the course of vertebrate evolution.Recent research has begun to decipher the neural basis of social decision-making. In mammals in particular, the neural circuits that evaluate stimulus salience and/or regulate social behavior have been uncovered to some degree: the mesolimbic reward system and social behavior network (Fig. 1). It is becoming increasingly clear that the reward system (including but not limited to the midbrain dopaminergic system) is the neural circuit where the salience of an external stimulus is evaluated (Deco and Rolls, 2005;Wickens et al., 2007), as appetitive beh...

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“…Limited electrophysiological recordings revealed that cells related to fighting exist in the PAG [106]. Electric stimulation of the PAG could elicit attack though it was often accompanied by motor disturbance [107]. Electric lesion in the PAG decreased natural aggression and increased the current threshold required to induce attack from the hypothalamus [108].…”

Section: The Motor Output Of Social Behaviors Beyond the Hypothalamusmentioning

confidence: 99%

The neural circuits of mating and fighting in male mice

Hashikawa

Falkner

et al. 2016

Current Opinion in Neurobiology

142

112

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Tinbergen proposed that instinctive behaviors can be divided into appetitive and consummatory phases. During mating and aggression, the appetitive phase contains various actions to bring an animal to a social target and the consummatory phase allows stereotyped actions to take place. Here, we summarize recent advances in elucidating the neural circuits underlying the appetitive and consummatory phases of sexual and aggressive behaviors with a focus on male mice. We outline the role of the main olfactory inputs in the initiation of social approach; the engagement of the accessory olfactory system during social investigation, and the role of the hypothalamus and its downstream pathways in orchestrating social behaviors through a suite of motor actions.

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Aggressive behavior induced by electrical stimulation in the midbrain central gray of male rats

Cited by 56 publications

References 29 publications

Neural background of glucocorticoid dysfunction‐induced abnormal aggression in rats: involvement of fear‐ and stress‐related structures

Neural background of glucocorticoid dysfunction‐induced abnormal aggression in rats: involvement of fear‐ and stress‐related structures

The Vertebrate mesolimbic reward system and social behavior network: A comparative synthesis

The neural circuits of mating and fighting in male mice

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