Figure 3.

The ACC and MITN are involved in observational fear learning. (a) Mice with lidocaine injections into the ACC (n = 12) before training failed to acquire fear compared with those receiving saline injections (n = 11) (F_{1, 21} = 19.20, P = 0.0003, two-way repeated ANOVA).

(b) Contextual memory 24 h after the training in a (F_{1, 21} = 16.43, P = 0.0006, two-way repeated ANOVA). (c) Mice with lidocaine injections into the ACC did not efficiently acquire fear by observation of siblings and mating partners (couples; F_{1, 30} = 18.25, P = 0.0002, two-way repeated ANOVA). (d,e) Administration of lidocaine into the parafascicular (PF) thalamic nuclei (n = 8) before training led to impaired observational fear learning during training (F_{1, 15} = 43.84, P < 0.0001, two-way repeated ANOVA, d) and 24 h after training (F_{1, 15} = 8.55, P = 0.0105, two-way repeated ANOVA, e) as compared with those receiving saline injections (n = 9). (f,g) Administration of lidocaine into the mediodorsal (MD) thalamic nuclei (n = 12) before training caused impaired observational fear learning during training (F_{1, 28} = 24.11, P < 0.0001, two-way repeated ANOVA, f) and 24 h after training (F_{1, 28} = 5.19, P = 0.0306, two-way repeated ANOVA, g) as compared with those receiving saline injections (n = 18). (h,i) Administration of lidocaine into the VPL/VPM before training had no influence on the acquisition of observational fear (h) and 24-h contextual memory (i) (lidocaine, n = 10; saline, n = 12). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, Scheffe’s post hoc test. Error bars represent s.e.m.