Afferent Connections to the Rostrolateral Part of the Periaqueductal Gray: A Critical Region Influencing the Motivation Drive to Hunt and Forage
| Autor: | Sandra Regina Mota-Ortiz, Marcia Harumi Sukikara, Luciano Freitas Felicio, Newton Sabino Canteras |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2009 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Neural Plasticity, Vol 2009 (2009) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 2090-5904 1687-5443 |
| DOI: | 10.1155/2009/612698 |
| Popis: | Previous studies have shown that a particular site in the periaqueductal gray (PAG), the rostrolateral PAG, influences the motivation drive to forage or hunt. To have a deeper understanding on the putative paths involved in the decision-making process between foraging, hunting, and other behavioral responses, in the present investigation, we carried out a systematic analysis of the neural inputs to the rostrolateral PAG (rlPAG), using Fluorogold as a retrograde tracer. According to the present findings, the rlPAG appears to be importantly driven by medial prefrontal cortical areas involved in controlling attention-related and decision-making processes. Moreover, the rlPAG also receives a wealth of information from different amygdalar, hypothalamic, and brainstem sites related to feeding, drinking, or hunting behavioral responses. Therefore, this unique combination of afferent connections puts the rlPAG in a privileged position to influence the motivation drive to choose whether hunting and foraging would be the most appropriate adaptive responses. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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