The neurological ecology of fear: insights neuroscientists and ecologists have to offer one another
That the fear and stress of life-threatening experiences can leave an indelible trace on the brain is most clearly exemplified by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many researchers studying the animal model of PTSD have adopted utilizing exposure to a predator as a life-threatening psychologic...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2011-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00021/full |
| _version_ | 1818228303331328000 |
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| author | Michael eClinchy Jay eSchulkin Liana Y Zanette Michael J Sheriff Patrick O McGowan Rudy eBoonstra |
| author_facet | Michael eClinchy Jay eSchulkin Liana Y Zanette Michael J Sheriff Patrick O McGowan Rudy eBoonstra |
| author_sort | Michael eClinchy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | That the fear and stress of life-threatening experiences can leave an indelible trace on the brain is most clearly exemplified by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many researchers studying the animal model of PTSD have adopted utilizing exposure to a predator as a life-threatening psychological stressor, to emulate the experience in humans, and the resulting body of literature has demonstrated numerous long-lasting neurological effects paralleling those in PTSD patients. Even though much more extreme, predator-induced fear and stress in animals in the wild was, until the 1990s, not thought to have any lasting effects, whereas recent experiments have demonstrated that the effects on free-living animals are sufficiently long-lasting to even affect reproduction, though the lasting neurological effects remain unexplored. We suggest neuroscientists and ecologists both have much to gain from collaborating in studying the neurological effects of predator-induced fear and stress in animals in the wild. We outline the approaches taken in the lab that appear most readily translatable to the field, and detail the advantages that studying animals in the wild can offer researchers investigating the ‘predator model of PTSD'. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T10:00:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9fe231dcecb247ed90406e85f86d4c30 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T10:00:34Z |
| publishDate | 2011-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-9fe231dcecb247ed90406e85f86d4c302022-12-22T00:28:00ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532011-04-01510.3389/fnbeh.2011.000219257The neurological ecology of fear: insights neuroscientists and ecologists have to offer one anotherMichael eClinchy0Jay eSchulkin1Liana Y Zanette2Michael J Sheriff3Patrick O McGowan4Rudy eBoonstra5University of VictoriaGeorgetown UniversityUniversity of Western OntarioUniversity of Alaska FairbanksUniversity of Toronto at ScarboroughUniversity of Toronto at ScarboroughThat the fear and stress of life-threatening experiences can leave an indelible trace on the brain is most clearly exemplified by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many researchers studying the animal model of PTSD have adopted utilizing exposure to a predator as a life-threatening psychological stressor, to emulate the experience in humans, and the resulting body of literature has demonstrated numerous long-lasting neurological effects paralleling those in PTSD patients. Even though much more extreme, predator-induced fear and stress in animals in the wild was, until the 1990s, not thought to have any lasting effects, whereas recent experiments have demonstrated that the effects on free-living animals are sufficiently long-lasting to even affect reproduction, though the lasting neurological effects remain unexplored. We suggest neuroscientists and ecologists both have much to gain from collaborating in studying the neurological effects of predator-induced fear and stress in animals in the wild. We outline the approaches taken in the lab that appear most readily translatable to the field, and detail the advantages that studying animals in the wild can offer researchers investigating the ‘predator model of PTSD'.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00021/fullGlucocorticoidsepigeneticsPost-traumatic stress disorderAnimal model of PTSDindirect predator effectslong-lasting neurological effects |
| spellingShingle | Michael eClinchy Jay eSchulkin Liana Y Zanette Michael J Sheriff Patrick O McGowan Rudy eBoonstra The neurological ecology of fear: insights neuroscientists and ecologists have to offer one another Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience Glucocorticoids epigenetics Post-traumatic stress disorder Animal model of PTSD indirect predator effects long-lasting neurological effects |
| title | The neurological ecology of fear: insights neuroscientists and ecologists have to offer one another |
| title_full | The neurological ecology of fear: insights neuroscientists and ecologists have to offer one another |
| title_fullStr | The neurological ecology of fear: insights neuroscientists and ecologists have to offer one another |
| title_full_unstemmed | The neurological ecology of fear: insights neuroscientists and ecologists have to offer one another |
| title_short | The neurological ecology of fear: insights neuroscientists and ecologists have to offer one another |
| title_sort | neurological ecology of fear insights neuroscientists and ecologists have to offer one another |
| topic | Glucocorticoids epigenetics Post-traumatic stress disorder Animal model of PTSD indirect predator effects long-lasting neurological effects |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00021/full |
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