Question

In a conditioned emotional response (CER) study, a tone is paired with a foot shock for a rat. After several trials, the tone alone is a CS that can elicit fear emotional responses. Which of the following is true of the physiology of this fear response?

a. Damage to the lateral nucleus of the amygdala impairs CER learning.
b. Tone-shock pairings rapidly decrease the electrical activity of the lateral nucleus of the amygdala.
c. Damage to the central nucleus of the prefrontal cortex impairs CER learning.
d. Inactivation of the ventral nucleus of the amygdala during CER training blocked the formation of the CER.
e. Damage to the amygdala facilitates emotional responding.

Answer 1

Damage to the lateral nucleus of the amygdala impairs conditioned emotional response learning, while increased electrical activity in the amygdala is associated with fear response processing. The central nucleus of the amygdala, not the prefrontal cortex, is directly involved in regulating fear-related responses.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of a conditioned emotional response (CER) study, where a tone is paired with a foot shock to elicit a fear response in rats, several physiological changes are associated with the learning of this fear response. Damage to the lateral nucleus of the amygdala does impair CER learning, as the lateral nucleus is specifically involved in the formation of fear memories. When the tone-shock pairings occur, there is increased electrical activity in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala rather than a decrease, indicating its role in processing the fear response. The central nucleus of the amygdala, not the prefrontal cortex, has connections that regulate autonomic and endocrine system responses related to fear, implying that damage to the prefrontal cortex is not directly related to impairments in CER learning. Furthermore, inactivation of specific nuclei within the amygdala, such as the ventral nucleus, during CER training can block the formation of the CER, since these areas play a critical role in attaching emotional value to learning and memory. Therefore, it is not accurate that damage to the amygdala facilitates emotional responding; rather, it disrupts the learning of the fear response.