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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Different patterns of freezing behavior organized in the periaqueductal gray of rats: association with different types of anxiety

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Author(s):
Brandão, Marcus L. [1] ; Zanoveli, Janaína M. ; Ruiz-Martinez, Raquel C. ; Oliveira, Luciana C. ; Landeira-Fernandez, Jesus
Total Authors: 5
Affiliation:
[1] Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto. Departamento de Psicologia e Educação - Brasil
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: Behavioural Brain Research; v. 188, n. 1, p. 1-13, Mar. 2008.
Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology
Abstract

Freezing defined as the complete absence of body movements is a normal response of animals to unavoidable fear stimuli. The present review presents a series of evidence relating different defensive patterns with specific anxiety disorders. There are at least four different kinds of freezing with specific neural substrates. The immobility induced by stimulation of the ventral column of the periaqueductal gray (vPAG) has been considered a quiescence characteristic of the recovery component of defense-recuperative processes. There is an isomorphism between freezing response to contextual stimuli paired with electrical shocks and generalized anxiety disorder. Besides, two types of freezing emerge with the electrical stimulation of the dorsal aspects of the periaqueductal gray (dPAG): the dPAG-evoked freezing and the dPAG post-stimulation freezing. Evidence is presented in support of the hypothesis that whereas dPAG-evoked freezing would serve as a model of panic attacks, the dPAG post-stimulation freezing appears to be a model of panic disorder. It is also proposed that conditioned freezing plus dPAG electrical stimulation might also mimic panic disorder with agoraphobia. A model of serotoninergic modulation through on- and off-cells of the defense reaction generated in the dPAG is also presented. The understanding of how the periaqueductal gray generates and elaborates different types of freezing is of relevance for our better knowledge of distinct types of anxiety such as panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 06/06354-5 - Psychobiology of fear and anxiety
Grantee:Marcus Lira Brandão
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants