title: Silent trace eliminates differential eyeblink learning in abstinent alcoholics.
abstract: Chronic alcoholism has profound effects on the brain, including volume reductions in regions critical for eyeblink classical conditioning (EBCC). The current study challenged abstinent alcoholics using delay (n = 20) and trace (n = 17) discrimination/reversal EBCC. Comparisons revealed a significant difference between delay and trace conditioning performance during reversal (t (35) = 2.08, p < 0.05). The difference between the two tasks for discrimination was not significant (p = 0.44). These data support the notion that alcoholics are increasingly impaired in the complex task of reversing a previously learned discrimination when a silent trace interval is introduced. Alcoholics' impairment in flexibly altering learned associations may be central to their continued addiction.
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA. Catherine_Fortier@hms.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Catherine Brawn
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Fortier
authors.forename: Arkadiy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Maksimovskiy
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Venne
authors.forename: Ginette
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: LaFleche
authors.forename: Regina E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: McGlinchey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001767:Blinking; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012193:Reversal Learning