title: Decremental effects of context exposure following delay eyeblink conditioning in rabbits.
abstract: The conditioning context arises from the relatively static features of the training environment. In rabbit eyeblink conditioning, procedures that retard acquisition (conditioned stimulus [CS] preexposure, unconditioned stimulus preexposure, blocking manipulations) are attenuated by context changes. In this article the authors investigate the effect of context exposure after initial delay conditioning. After conditioned responses (CRs) were established, one group received 6 sessions of context exposure, whereas control groups either remained in their home cages or received exposure to handling and a novel context. Thereafter, all groups received CS-alone testing. The expression of CRs was substantially reduced following context exposure relative to any retention loss in the home-cage control. Exposure to handling and a novel context facilitated the CRs rather than reducing them.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. apoulos@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Poulos
authors.forename: Narawut
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pakaprot
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mahdi
authors.forename: E James
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kehoe
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D003215:Conditioning, Eyelid / Q000502:physiology*; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D009541:Nictitating Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits; D013997:Time Factors