The use of alert behaving mice in the study of learning and memory processes.
The availability of transgenic mice that mimic human neurodegenerative processes has made it necessary to develop new recording and stimulating techniques capable of being applied in this species. We have studied here the motor learning and memory capabilities of wild-type and transgenic mice with deficits in cognitive functions, using classical conditioning procedures. We have developed an electrical shock/SHOCK paradigm corresponding to a trace classical conditioning; that is, a learning task involving the cerebral cortex, including the hippocampus. The conditioning procedure is a modification of the air-puff/AIR-PUFF conditioning (Gruart et al., J. Neurophysiol. 74:226, 1995). Animals were implanted with stimulating electrodes in the supraorbitary branch of the trigeminal nerve and with recording electrodes in the orbicularis oculi muscle. Computer programs were developed to quantify the appearance and evolution of eyelid conditioned responses. According to the present results, the classical conditioning of eyelid responses appears to be a suitable (associative) learning procedure to study learning capabilities in genetically-modified mice.
Rodríguez-Moreno
Antonio
A
División de Neurociencias, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Ctra. de Utrera, Km. 141013-Sevilla, Spain.
Domínguez Del Toro
Eduardo
E
Porras-García
Elena
E
Delgado-García
José M
JM
D000367:Age Factors; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D005143:Eyelids / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D012018:Reflex / Q000528:radiation effects; D013997:Time Factors; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000528:radiation effects
C084104:APLP2 protein, human; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; C492952:Aplp2 protein, mouse; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists