Afferent connections to the rostrolateral part of the periaqueductal gray: a critical region influencing the motivation drive to hunt and forage.

ABSTRACT: Previous studies have shown that a particular site in the periaqueductal gray (PAG), the rostrolateral PAG, influences the motivation drive to forage or hunt. To have a deeper understanding on the putative paths involved in the decision-making process between foraging, hunting, and other behavioral responses, in the present investigation, we carried out a systematic analysis of the neural inputs to the rostrolateral PAG (rlPAG), using Fluorogold as a retrograde tracer. According to the present findings, the rlPAG appears to be importantly driven by medial prefrontal cortical areas involved in controlling attention-related and decision-making processes. Moreover, the rlPAG also receives a wealth of information from different amygdalar, hypothalamic, and brainstem sites related to feeding, d

SUBMITTER: Mota-Ortiz SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2657915 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature