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Article 1: Belleville, G. (2010). Mortality hazard associated with anxiolytic and hypnotic drug use in the national population health survey. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55, 558-67.

Summary: The article assessed the mortality hazard associated with anxiolytic drug use.

Questions to Consider: [Critical thinking questions based on the article to gauge student comprehension and analysis]

1. Which confounds were controlled for in this study?
2. How did this study differ from similar studies?
3. What factors might be impacting higher mortality rates among users of anxiolytic drugs?
    

Article 2: Dityatev, A. E., & Bolshakov, V. Y. (2005). Amygdala, long-term potentiation, and fear conditioning. The Neuroscientist, 11, 75-88.

Summary: This paper reviews research on the role that LTP in the amygdala plays in fear conditioning.

Questions to Consider:

1. Why is fear learning being used to investigate the LTP-memory connection?
2. What are the two types of neurons found in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala?
3. What kinds of research are suggested by the authors to clarify questions that remain?
    

Article 3: de Bortoli, V. C., de Melo Yamashita, P. S., & Zangrossi, H. (2013). 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor control of a panic-like defensive response in the rat dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 27, 1116-23.

Summary: This paper describes research aimed at determining the role that different serotonin receptors might play in panic-like behaviors.

Questions to Consider:

1. Why might the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus be an important structure involved in panic disorder?
2. How were the various serotonin receptors activated or blocked?
3. How was the panic-like behavior induced?