Abstract The presence of valence coding neurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) that form distinct projections to other brain regions implies functional opposition between aversion and reward during learning. However, evidence for opponent interactions in fear learning is sparse and may only be apparent under certain conditions. Here we test this possibility by studying the roles of the BLA-central amygdala (CeA) and BLA-nucleus accumbens (Acb) pathways in fear learning in male rats.
