Figure 3 | Translational Psychiatry

Figure 3

From: Effects of vagus nerve stimulation on extinction of conditioned fear and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in rats

Figure 3

AFC alone rats and PTSD model rats respond similarly to footshock. (a) Acquisition of conditioned fear is similar between groups. Prior to VNS- or sham-paired extinction, rats underwent 2 days of AFC. On the first day of AFC, rats were exposed to four pretones to assess baseline freezing to the tone, pretone freezing was similar between groups. Acquisition of conditioned fear was similar between all rats on these days; however, PTSD model rats show a reduction in freezing at tones 9 and 10 versus AFC alone rats (##P<0.01). This effect is no longer present on subsequent tones. (b) Following reinstatement shocks, rats show similar levels of freezing. Following a reinstatement shock in context A, rats from all groups show comparable levels of freezing (P>0.05). AFC, auditory fear conditioning; PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder; VNS, vagus nerve stimulation.

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