Journal article
Neural correlates of active avoidance behavior in superior colliculus
The Journal of neuroscience, v 30(25), pp 8502-8511
23 Jun 2010
PMID: 20573897
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Active avoidance of harmful situations seems highly adaptive, but the underlying neural mechanisms are unknown. Rats can effectively use the superior colliculus during active avoidance to detect a salient whisker conditioned stimulus (WCS) that signals an aversive event. Here, we recorded unit and field potential activity in the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus of rats during active avoidance behavior. During the period preceding the onset of the WCS, avoids are associated with a higher firing rate than escapes (unsuccessful avoids), indicating that a prepared superior colliculus is more likely to detect the WCS and lead to an avoid. Moreover, during the WCS, a robust ramping up of the overall firing rate is observed for trials leading to avoids. The firing rate ramping is not caused by shuttling and may serve to drive downstream circuits to avoid. Therefore, a robust neural correlate of active avoidance behavior is found in the superior colliculus, emphasizing its role in the detection of salient sensory signals that require immediate action.
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Details
- Title
- Neural correlates of active avoidance behavior in superior colliculus
- Creators
- Jeremy D Cohen - Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129, USAManuel A Castro-Alamancos
- Publication Details
- The Journal of neuroscience, v 30(25), pp 8502-8511
- Publisher
- Society for Neuroscience; United States
- Grant note
- R01 NS059036-03 / NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS059036-04 / NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS059036-02 / NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS059036-01A1 / NINDS NIH HHS R35 NS097272 / NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS059036 / NINDS NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000279076900016
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-77954121036
- Other Identifier
- 991014878107104721
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- Web of Science research areas
- Neurosciences