Effects of ibotenic acid lesions of the dorsal hippocampus on contextual fear conditioning in mice: comparison with mammillary body lesions

Behav Brain Res. 2004 May 5;151(1-2):65-72. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2003.08.006.

Abstract

The goals of the present study were to determine if ibotenic acid lesions of the dorsal hippocampus (dHPC) or of mammillary body (MB) of the hypothalamus would induce similar contextual conditioning deficit in a fear-conditioning paradigm, previously developed in mice [Eur. J. Neurosci. 12 (2000) 2575]. Results showed that ibotenic acid lesions of the dHPC or of the MB both induced severe deficits on contextual conditioning but spared auditory conditioning, as compared to controls. This study provides direct evidence for an involvement of dHPC neurones in contextual fear conditioning and is first to demonstrate an involvement of the MB in the mediation of contextual fear conditioning.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Stimulation
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animals
  • Association Learning / drug effects
  • Association Learning / physiology
  • Behavior, Animal
  • Brain Diseases / chemically induced
  • Brain Diseases / physiopathology
  • Conditioning, Classical / drug effects*
  • Conditioning, Classical / physiology
  • Discrimination, Psychological / drug effects
  • Discrimination, Psychological / physiology
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / toxicity
  • Fear / drug effects*
  • Fear / psychology
  • Hippocampus / drug effects*
  • Hippocampus / physiology
  • Ibotenic Acid / toxicity*
  • Male
  • Mammillary Bodies / drug effects*
  • Mammillary Bodies / physiology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C

Substances

  • Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists
  • Ibotenic Acid