Chronic stress causes amygdala hyperexcitability in rodents.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Chronic stress is a major health concern, often leading to depression, anxiety, or when severe enough, posttraumatic stress disorder. While many studies demonstrate that the amygdala is hyperresponsive in patients with these disorders, the cellular neurophysiological effects of chronic stress on the systems that underlie psychiatric disorders, such as the amygdala, are relatively unknown.

Methods

In this study, we examined the effects of chronic stress on the activity and excitability of amygdala neurons in vivo in rats. We used in vivo intracellular recordings from single neurons of the lateral amygdala (LAT) to measure neuronal properties and determine the cellular mechanism for the effects of chronic stress on LAT neurons.

Results

We found a mechanism fo

SUBMITTER: Rosenkranz JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2882519 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature