The importance of cerebellar cortex and facial nucleus in acquisition and retention of eyeblink/NM conditioning: evidence for critical unilateral regulation of the conditioned response. 1997

R E Clark, and A A Zhang, and D G Lavond
Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-2520, USA. clark@whoville.ucsd.edu

Experiment 1 examined acquisition of the classically conditioned eyeblink response in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) during reversible cooling lesions of the cerebellar cortex (CX), facial nucleus (FN), or lateral parvocellular reticular formation (RF). Retention was then evaluated during periods of training during reversible cooling lesions and without cooling in rabbits that had acquired the conditioned response. We found that cooling the CX did not prevent acquisition, but did retard the acquisition rate. Cooling the FN during acquisition prevented the expression of the unconditioned and conditioned response, but did not prevent the acquisition when assessed during subsequent training without cooling. Cooling the RF had no effect on the acquisition or expression of the conditioned response. During subsequent retention testing, in well-trained animals, cooling the CX did not abolish the learned response. Cooling the FN abolished both the conditioned and the unconditioned response. The results from Experiment 1 indicate that the CX is more important for acquisition than retention of the conditioned response. The FN is not important for the acquisition of the conditioned response, but is essential for the expression of the conditioned and unconditioned response. Experiment 2 examined bilateral recordings from the cerebellum in well-trained rabbits, before and during interpositus or FN cooling. We found that cooling the interpositus abolished all learning related activity in the ipsilateral or contralateral cerebellum, but did not affect the stimulus evoked responses. Cooling the FN did not abolish stimulus evoked activity or learning related activity in the cerebellum. The results emphasize the critical importance of the ipsilateral cerebellum in classical eyeblink conditioning and suggest that the memory trace for this type of learning is mediated by unilateral circuitry.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D011817 Rabbits A burrowing plant-eating mammal with hind limbs that are longer than its fore limbs. It belongs to the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, and in contrast to hares, possesses 22 instead of 24 pairs of chromosomes. Belgian Hare,New Zealand Rabbit,New Zealand Rabbits,New Zealand White Rabbit,Rabbit,Rabbit, Domestic,Chinchilla Rabbits,NZW Rabbits,New Zealand White Rabbits,Oryctolagus cuniculus,Chinchilla Rabbit,Domestic Rabbit,Domestic Rabbits,Hare, Belgian,NZW Rabbit,Rabbit, Chinchilla,Rabbit, NZW,Rabbit, New Zealand,Rabbits, Chinchilla,Rabbits, Domestic,Rabbits, NZW,Rabbits, New Zealand,Zealand Rabbit, New,Zealand Rabbits, New,cuniculus, Oryctolagus
D012153 Retention, Psychology The persistence to perform a learned behavior (facts or experiences) after an interval has elapsed in which there has been no performance or practice of the behavior. Psychological Retention,Retention (Psychology),Psychology Retention,Retention, Psychological
D002531 Cerebellum The part of brain that lies behind the BRAIN STEM in the posterior base of skull (CRANIAL FOSSA, POSTERIOR). It is also known as the "little brain" with convolutions similar to those of CEREBRAL CORTEX, inner white matter, and deep cerebellar nuclei. Its function is to coordinate voluntary movements, maintain balance, and learn motor skills. Cerebella,Corpus Cerebelli,Parencephalon,Cerebellums,Parencephalons
D003213 Conditioning, Psychological Simple form of learning involving the formation, strengthening, or weakening of an association between a stimulus and a response. Conditioning, Psychology,Psychological Conditioning,Social Learning Theory,Social Learning Theories,Theory, Social Learning
D005133 Eye Movements Voluntary or reflex-controlled movements of the eye. Eye Movement,Movement, Eye,Movements, Eye
D005154 Facial Nerve The 7th cranial nerve. The facial nerve has two parts, the larger motor root which may be called the facial nerve proper, and the smaller intermediate or sensory root. Together they provide efferent innervation to the muscles of facial expression and to the lacrimal and SALIVARY GLANDS, and convey afferent information for TASTE from the anterior two-thirds of the TONGUE and for TOUCH from the EXTERNAL EAR. Cranial Nerve VII,Marginal Mandibular Branch,Marginal Mandibular Nerve,Seventh Cranial Nerve,Nerve VII,Nerve of Wrisberg,Nervus Facialis,Nervus Intermedius,Nervus Intermedius of Wrisberg,Cranial Nerve VIIs,Cranial Nerve, Seventh,Facial Nerves,Mandibular Nerve, Marginal,Mandibular Nerves, Marginal,Marginal Mandibular Nerves,Nerve VIIs,Nerve, Facial,Nerve, Marginal Mandibular,Nerve, Seventh Cranial,Nerves, Marginal Mandibular,Nervus Faciali,Seventh Cranial Nerves,Wrisberg Nerve,Wrisberg Nervus Intermedius
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia

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