The Lateral Septum as an Anxiety-inhibiting Structure: a New Model for Anxiolytic Action

Abstract

The search for the structures or systems that mediate the anxiolytic action of drugs has focused on those regions of the brain that are activated by fear-eliciting conditions. Among such structures are the central nucleus of the amygdala (Nagy et al., 1979; Shibata et al., 1982), the raphe nuclei (see Soubrié, 1986, for review) and the mammillary bodies (Shibata et al., 1986). We present data that suggest that inhibition of anxiety-mediating systems is not sufficient and that effective anxiolytic treatment may require the activation of anxiety-reducing systems as well.