Foraging decisions involve assessing potential risks and prioritizing food sources, which can be challenging when confronted with changing and conflicting circumstances. A crucial aspect of this decision-making process is the ability to actively overcome defensive reactions to threats and focus on achieving specific goals. The ventral pallidum (VP) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) are two brain regions that play key roles in regulating behavior motivated by either rewards or threats. However, it is unclear whether these regions are necessary in decision-making processes involving competing motivational drives during conflict. Our aim was to investigate the requirements of the VP and BLA for foraging choices in conflicts involving overcoming defensive responses. Here, we used a novel foraging task and pharmacological techniques to inactivate either the VP or BLA or to disconnect these brain regions before conducting a conflict test in male rats. Our findings showed that BLA is necessary for making risky choices during conflicts, whereas VP is necessary for invigorating the drive to obtain food, regardless of the presence of conflict. Importantly, our research revealed that the connection between VP and BLA is critical in controlling risky food-seeking choices during conflict situations. This study provides a new perspective on the collaborative function of VP and BLA in driving behavior, aimed at achieving goals in the face of dangers.

觅食决策涉及评估潜在风险和优先考虑食物来源，这在面临不断变化和冲突的环境时可能具有挑战性。这一决策过程的一个重要方面是能够积极克服对威胁的防御反应并专注于实现特定目标。腹侧苍白球（VP）和基底外侧杏仁核（BLA）是两个大脑区域，在调节由奖励或威胁驱动的行为中发挥着关键作用。然而，尚不清楚这些区域在冲突期间涉及竞争动机的决策过程中是否必要。我们的目的是调查 VP 和 BLA 在涉及克服防御反应的冲突中寻找选择的要求。在这里，我们使用了一种新颖的觅食任务和药理学技术来灭活 VP 或 BLA，或者在对雄性大鼠进行冲突测试之前断开这些大脑区域。我们的研究结果表明，BLA 对于在冲突期间做出冒险选择是必要的，而 VP 对于激发获取食物的动力是必要的，无论是否存在冲突。重要的是，我们的研究表明，VP 和 BLA 之间的联系对于在冲突局势中控制危险的食物寻求选择至关重要。这项研究为VP和BLA在驾驶行为中的协作功能提供了新的视角，旨在在面临危险时实现目标。