Disrupted retention of the classically conditioned nictitating membrane response in the aluminum-intoxicated rabbit using electrical stimulation of the brain as a conditioned stimulus.
Rabbits were classically conditioned to emit an eyeblink conditioned response (CR) to electrical stimulation (ESB) of the medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) paired with a corneal air puff until they attained a criterion of two consecutive days of greater than 90% CRs. They then received intraventricular injections of 1% AlCl3, HCL, or normal saline. Ten days postinjection, each animal underwent a retention test consisting of 50 ESB alone presentations. Whereas all saline and HCL animals gave at least 90% CRs during retention, no aluminum rabbit emitted more than 30% CRs. Considered with the results of previous work, these data suggest that aluminum-induced neurofibrillary degeneration disrupts retention of the CR by affecting central associative processes.
Solomon
P R
PR
Department of Psychology, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267.
Koota
D
D
Pendlebury
W W
WW
D000417:Albinism; D000535:Aluminum / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003215:Conditioning, Eyelid / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D008954:Models, Biological; D009541:Nictitating Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits
D000535:Aluminum