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Role of the extended amygdala in short-duration versus sustained fear: a tribute to Dr. Lennart Heimer

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Abstract

The concept of the “extended amygdala”, developed and explored by Lennart Heimer, Jose de Olmos, George Alheid, and their collaborators, has had an enormous impact on the field of neuroscience and on our own work. Measuring fear-potentiated startle test using conditioned stimuli that vary in length we suggest that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the lateral division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTL) are involved in short-term versus long-term fear responses we call phasic versus sustained fear, respectively. Outputs from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) activate the medial division of the CeA (CeAM) to very rapidly elicit phasic fear responses via CeAM projections to the hypothalamus and brainstem. The BLA also projects to the BNSTL, which together with other BNSTL inputs from the lateral CeA (CeAL) initiate a slower developing, but sustained fear response, akin to anxiety. We hypothesize this occurs because the CeAL releases the peptide corticotropin releasing hormone (CRF) into the BNSTL which facilitates the release of glutamate from BLA terminals. This activates the BNSTL which projects to hypothalamic and brainstem areas similar to those innervated by the CeAM that mediate the specific signs of fear and anxiety. The generality of this idea is illustrated by selective studies looking at context conditioning, social defeat, drug withdrawal and stress induced reinstatement.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grants MH069056, MH47840, MH57250 and MH59906, and the Science and Technology Center (The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience of the National Science Foundation under Agreement No. IBN–9876754) and the Yerkes Base Grant. “Principles of laboratory animal care (NIH publication No. 86–23, revised 1985) were followed and all procedures were approved by the Emory IACUC.

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  1. Yerkes National Primate Center and the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA

    David L. Walker & Michael Davis

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Walker, D.L., Davis, M. Role of the extended amygdala in short-duration versus sustained fear: a tribute to Dr. Lennart Heimer. Brain Struct Funct 213, 29–42 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-008-0183-3

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