Previous studies has shown that various acute emotional stress increase the induction of immediate early gene c-fos. we have demonstrated that exposure to short footshock (0.25mA) stimulates the expression of c-fos in the rat brain. This induction significantly differed by various type of activity of animals in the behavioural tests. In order to distinguish individual rats sensitive or resistant to acute emotional stress we used a version of an o pen-field test. After behavioural test animals divided to three groups: resistant, sensitive and intermediate. Then animals received 0.25mA footshock for 5 sec in a standard passive avoidance learning task. Intact unstimulated rats or animals that were placed in the shock chamber for the same time as experimental rats but without delivery of shock (control box group) were used as controls. Our results show that control box-animals had no significant increase in c-Fos immunoreactivity comparable to intact animals. A single short-lasting shock produced a greater induction of c-Fos expression in the sensitive animals than resistant to emotional stress in several brain areas including cingulate piriform cortex, frontoparietal cortex, ventromedial lateral, paraventricular and perimammilay nuclei of hypothalamus, ventral tegmental area and superior colliculus.