Fig. 6

Inhibition of PKA in the BLA aggravated moderate social defeat-induced anxiety but not social avoidance. a Schematic representation of a protocol for 10-day H-89/8-Br-cAMP administration during a moderate SD stress (the exposure time to aggressors was shortened from 10 min to 5 min each day); b photomicrograph of coronal section and histological reconstruction of microinjection sites by osmotic pump system in the bilateral BLA; c Continuous PKA activator 8-Br-cAMP (8-Br, 2 μg/d) and inhibitor H-89 (0.3 μg/d) over the 10-day defeat did not affect the social interaction behaviors; d & e 8-Br-cAMP alleviated moderate SD-induced anxiety in the OFT (d) and EPM test (e), whereas H-89 significantly aggravated moderate SD-induced anxiety in the EPM test. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 verse NS control.