Activation of somatodendritic 5-HT1A autoreceptors reduces the acquisition and expression of cued fear in the rat fear-potentiated startle test

Rationale Fear conditioningis an important factor in the etiology of anxiety disorders. Previous studies have demonstrated a role for serotonin (5-HT)1A receptors in fear conditioning. However, the relative contribution of somatodendritic 5-HT1A autoreceptorsand post-synaptic 5-HT1A heteroreceptorsin fear conditioningis still unclear.