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The selective breeding for extreme behavior on the elevated plus-maze (EPM) resulted 8 in two mouse lines namely high-anxiety behaving (HAB) and low-anxiety behaving (LAB) mice. 9Using novel behavioral tests we demonstrate that HAB animals additionally exhibit maladaptive 10 escape behavior and defensive vocalizations, whereas LAB mice show profound deficits in escaping 11 from approaching threats which partially results from sensory deficits. We could relate these 12 behavioral distortions to tonic changes in brain activity within the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in HAB