Neuronal responses in the cat substantia innominata during instrumental conditioned reflex

Neuronal spike activity in the substantia innominata was investigated when establishing the instrumental conditioned reflex of lever-pressing with food reinforcement during chronic experiments on cats. Spike activity changed in 44.3% of neurons during this process; 24.3% responded directly to conditioned acoustic stimulation. Reactions associated with conditioned reflex movement were less pronounced. Response of peak intensity and duration was observed during food reinforcement, when the reaction occasionally occurred 500 msec in advance of the reinforcement provided. Involvement of cholinergic substantia innominata neurons in reinforcement is thought to be responsible for the persistence of residual effects in neocortical neurons.A. A. Bogomolets Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 21, No. 6, pp. 796–804, November–December, 1989.     

Neuronal spike response produced in the feline thalamic reticular nucleus by instrumental conditioned reflex

Spike response was investigated in 156 units of the thalamic reticular nucleus (RN) during performance of the instrumental feeding reflex of lever-pressing. This response consisted of lead and lag phases. Latency of the lead phase of response varied between 10 and 100 msec and total duration of response between 50 and 250 msec; minimum latency of the lag phase: 100–300 msec. Initial response to a conditioning clicking sound was found in 27 units, of which 26 showed excitation and the remaining single unit an inhibitory-excitatory pattern. The lag stage of response associated with performance of conditioned lever-pressing was found in 134 neurons, of which 115 showed an excitatory pattern, 19 displayed inhibition and the remaining 22 units failed to respond. The lag phase of response preceded the onset of conditioned reflex movement (CRM) in 30 neurons. A total of 118 neurons responded between the onset of CRM and the point of lever-pressing. It was concluded that the RN plays a part in perception of the conditioned signal as well as producing and controlling performance of CRM.A. A. Bogomolets Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 8–18, January–February, 1991.     

Regression analysis of an instrumental conditioned tentacular reflex in the edible snail

Regression analysis revealed the opportunity of approximation with exponential mathematical model of the learning curves of conditioned tentacle reflex. Retention of the reflex persisted for more than three weeks. There were some quantitative differences between conditioning of the right and the left tentacle. There was formation of the reflex in every session during spring period, but there was no retention between sessions. The conditioned tentacle reflex may be employed in neuropharmacological studies.     

Complex alimentary motor conditioned reflex reactions in cats and dogs]

The ability of animals to perform a complex motor task representing a model of compensatory discrete tracing was investigated in dogs and cats. Elongation of a light spot on an oscilloscope screen into a vertical line served as a signal of motor reaction. The reaction consisted in several movements, each of which reduced the initial signal change by 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 or 1/5 of its value. Alimentary reinforcement was given only after a reduction of the signal to its initial level. Signals with a different number of steps of transition to their initial state were presented at random. It was found that learned animals were capable of a stable behaviour of a compensatory discrete tracing type. A hypothesis has been advanced about a probabilistic participation of visual control in the realization of tracing motor behaviour.     

Electrophysiologic correlates of habituation and conditioned reflex elaboration

The average correlation coefficient between the EEG of different parts of the cortex gradually decreases as the rabbit is habituated to the experimental surroundings. Elaboration of an electo-defensive conditioned reflex leads to its enhancement which is replaced by a phase of temporary decrease, to be followed again by an enhancement of EEG correlation. The pronouncedness of theta-frequencies in the spectral and coherent functions behaves in a similar way. Successive changes of delta-activity level reveal no regularity.     

Multineuronal cortical activity in dogs with a defensive instrumental conditioned reflex

By methods of correlation analysis, interrelations were studied of neurones with high, mean and low amplitudes of spikes singled out by amplitude principle from background multineuronal activity of the motor and somatosensory cortical zones, recorded by chronically implanted semi-microelectrodes in dogs. In trained animals, a high positive correlation was observed of singled out neurones discharges, particularly between the neurones with low and mean amplitude of spikes. By the method of cross-interval histogram, dependent relations were revealed of the neurones with different amplitude characteristic mainly of one-sided excitatory character.     

Activity of neurons in the pedunculopontine nucleus in conditioned instrumental appetitive reflex

Activity of 91 neurons in the compact and diffuse parts of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) was recorded in freely moving rabbits during execution of instrumental appetitive conditioning. Of the recorded neurons, 37.4% changed their activity in response to a conditioned stimulus, which is the evidence for the PPTg involvement in instrumental conditioning. Excitatory conditioned neuronal responses to the conditioned stimulus and food reinforcement significantly prevailed over inhibitory reactions. Neuronal responses to the conditioned stimulus were classified in several basic patterns reflecting stimulus effects, structure of the behavioral act, and reinforcement properties. These reactions indicate the involvement of the PPTg in attention, motor learning, and reinforcement. The revealed differences in associative reactive properties of the compact and diffuse parts of the PPTg to the conditioned stimulus and reinforcement point to the functional heterogeneity of this structure and suggest the leading role of the cholinergic part of the PPTg in instrumental appetitive conditioning and reinforcement as well as the essential contribution of the diffuse part into classical appetitive conditioning.     

Generalization of an instrumental defensive conditioned reflex elaborated to electric stimulation of the hypothalamus in dogs

Generalization of defensive conditioned reflexes elaborated to electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) was studied in four dogs with electrodes implanted in various structures of the limbic system. Electrocutaneous stimulation was switched off when the dog lifted the foreleg to a definite level. Generalization of the conditioned reflex was manifested in different degrees when testing different formations of the limbic system, or testing one and the same structure, but at different stages of conditioning. Two types of generalization were found: the first one--a well pronounced motor reaction, by its latency, level and duration of lifting the foreleg similar to movements appearing in response to the conditioned stimulus; and the second one--low amplitude or short-term movements differing from conditioned ones. The first type of generalization was observed in response to stimulation of LH, contralateral to the point of signal stimulation, of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, the mammillary bodies and the basal, lateral and to a lesser degree, the central nucleus of the amygdaloid complex; the second type--in response to stimulation of the ventral hippocampus, the medial and lateral septum nuclei.     

Intralimbic evoked potentials in the formation of an instrumental food conditioned reflex to hippocampal electrostimulation in dogs]

In dogs with the electrodes implanted in the hippocampus, amygdala, septum and hypothalamus an instrumental alimentary conditioned reflex (CR) was elaborated to electrostimulation of the hippocampus. Intralimbic evoked potentials (EPs) were studied during the elaboration and extinction of this reflex and during stimulations of limbic structures conducted with the purpose of CR generalization checking. Late EP components in the lateral hypothalamus and central nucleus of the amygdala changed during CR elaboration and extinction and in the hippocampus during amygdala testing. In both cases the amplitude of trace positivity and of slow negative wave was less, when during stimulation of the structure an instrumental movement was initiated than at its absence.