title: [Activity of neurons in the pedunculopontine nucleus in conditioned instrumental appetitive reflex].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Higher Nervous Activity, Lomonosov State University, Moscow.
authors.forename: N Iu
authors.initials: NIu
authors.lastname: Ivlieva
authors.forename: N O
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Timofeeva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology