Pituitary-Adrenal Influences on Fear Responding

In a passive avoidance situation, hypophysectomized male rats show less fear than normal rats, whereas adrenalectomized rats show greater fear than normals. These results probably occur because hypophysectomized rats lack adrenocorticotrophic hormone, which increases arousal or emotionality, whereas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1969-01, Vol.163 (3863), p.197-199
Main Authors: Weiss, Jay M., McEwen, Bruce S., M. Teresa A. Silva, Kalkut, Marcia F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adrenal Cortex Hormones - physiology
Adrenalectomy
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone - physiology
Animals
Avoidance Learning
Defecation
Electroshock
Endocrinology
Fear
Feedback
Hormones
Hypophysectomy
Male
Pituitary-Adrenal System
Rats
Secretion
Shock tests
Steroids
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Summary:In a passive avoidance situation, hypophysectomized male rats show less fear than normal rats, whereas adrenalectomized rats show greater fear than normals. These results probably occur because hypophysectomized rats lack adrenocorticotrophic hormone, which increases arousal or emotionality, whereas adrenalectomized animals lack certain adrenal steroids, which inhibit excitatory effects. The results indicate that adrenocorticotrophic hormone and certain adrenal steroids have opposite effects in regulating fear-motivated behavior.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.163.3863.197