Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Neurotransmitters regulating defensive rage behavior in the cat

A Siegel1, K L Schubert, M B Shaikh

  • 1Department of Neurosciences, New Jersey Medical School, Newark 07103, USA.

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
|January 7, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Researchers identified neural pathways controlling defensive rage in cats. Alcohol administration was found to facilitate this behavior by interacting with specific brain regions and receptors.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

FKRP-dependent glycosylation of fibronectin regulates muscle pathology in muscular dystrophy.

Nature communications·2021
Same author

Fluoroscopic-guided laparoscopic ileocolic resection with retrieval of retained (PillCam<sup>®</sup>) wireless capsule endoscope.

Techniques in coloproctology·2019
Same author

Evaluation of a scapula spinal marker cluster to track the scapula kinematics during manual wheelchair propulsion.

Computer methods in biomechanics and biomedical engineering·2017
Same author

Tracking the scapula motion through multibody kinematics optimisation to study manual wheelchair propulsion.

Computer methods in biomechanics and biomedical engineering·2017
Same author

Boolean network identification from perturbation time series data combining dynamics abstraction and logic programming.

Bio Systems·2016
Same author

Plant-virus-based vectors for gene transfer may be of considerable use despite a presumed high error frequency during RNA synthesis.

Plant molecular biology·2013

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Pharmacology
  • Neurochemistry

Background:

  • Defensive rage behavior is a complex response.
  • Understanding its neural underpinnings is crucial for neurological and psychiatric research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify neural circuits and neurotransmitters involved in defensive rage in cats.
  • To determine how alcohol affects these circuits and modifies rage mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized brain stimulation, behavioral pharmacology, immunocytochemistry, tract tracing, and receptor binding.
  • Implanted electrodes for stimulation and microinfusion in the limbic-midbrain axis.
  • Investigated pathways from the hypothalamus and amygdala to the periaqueductal gray (PAG).

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • A direct pathway from the anterior medial hypothalamus to the dorsal PAG, using NMDA receptors, mediates rage.
  • Basal amygdala inputs to the dorsal PAG facilitate rage via NMDA receptors.
  • Medial amygdala to medial hypothalamus pathway facilitates rage via substance P receptors.
  • Central amygdala inputs to the PAG suppress rage via mu receptors.
  • Ethanol facilitates rage by interacting with the medial hypothalamus and its projections to the PAG, potentially involving NMDA receptors.

Conclusions:

  • Specific neural circuits, including hypothalamic-PAG pathways and amygdalar inputs, critically regulate defensive rage.
  • Neurotransmitters like excitatory amino acids, substance P, and enkephalins play distinct roles in modulating this behavior.
  • Alcohol administration enhances defensive rage, likely through interactions within the medial hypothalamus and descending pathways to the PAG.