title: Developmental change in unilateral olfactory habituation is mediated by anterior commissure maturation.
abstract: Habituation of an orienting response in rat pups was used to study the development of the anterior commissure (AC) and its role in olfactory memory. Six- and 12-day-old pups received odor presentations to one side of their olfactory system and were tested later for habituation to additional presentations made to either the trained or untrained side. Six-day-old pups remembered only on the trained side. Twelve-day-old pups remembered when tested on either side. Transection of the AC in 12-day-old pups before, but not after, training prevented the transfer of memory. Thus, between 6 and 12 days of age, olfactory cross-projections carried in the AC mature and provide a functional substrate for transfer, at the time of training, of a form of olfactory learning.
authors: Department of Psychology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27706.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: King
authors: W G
authors: WG
authors: Hall
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000294:innervation; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000502:physiology; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*