Opposing roles of the amygdala and dorsolateral periaqueductal gray in fear-potentiated startle.

The whole-body acoustic startle response is a short-latency reflex mediated by a relatively simple neural circuit in the lower brainstem and spinal cord. The amplitude of this reflex is markedly enhanced by moderate fear levels, and less effectively increased by higher fear levels. Extensive evidence indicates that the amygdala plays a key role in the potentiation of startle by moderate fear. More recent evidence suggests that the periaqueductal gray is involved in the loss of potentiated startle at higher levels of fear. The influence of both structures may be mediated by anatomical connections with the acoustic startle circuit, perhaps at the level of the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis. The present chapter reviews these data.