THE ANTERIOR CEREBELLAR VERMIS - ESSENTIAL INVOLVEMENT IN CLASSICALLY-CONDITIONED BRADYCARDIA IN THE RABBIT

Authors
Citation
Wf. Supple et Bs. Kapp, THE ANTERIOR CEREBELLAR VERMIS - ESSENTIAL INVOLVEMENT IN CLASSICALLY-CONDITIONED BRADYCARDIA IN THE RABBIT, The Journal of neuroscience, 13(9), 1993, pp. 3705-3711
Citations number
50
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences
Journal title
ISSN journal
0270-6474
Volume
13
Issue
9
Year of publication
1993
Pages
3705 - 3711
Database
ISI
SICI code
0270-6474(1993)13:9<3705:TACV-E>2.0.ZU;2-V
Abstract
The effects of lesions of the cerebellum on the acquisition and retent ion of aversive Pavlovian conditioned bradycardia were examined in rab bits. Lesions of the anterior cerebellar vermis severely attenuated th e acquisition of simple conditioned bradycardia without disrupting bas eline heart rate (HR), or unconditioned HR responses. Also, lesions of the vermis performed after the acquisition of conditioned bradycardia eliminated evidence of prior conditioning. Bilateral lesions of the c erebellar hemispheres did not affect conditioned or unconditioned HR r esponses. These results were interpreted to indicate that anterior ver mis lesions specifically disrupted part of an essential conditioned re sponse pathway without interfering with the neural circuits that media te unconditioned HR responding. These lesion data, coupled with recent electrophysiological evidence of learning-related changes in neuronal activity within the anterior vermis of the fear-conditioned rabbit, s uggest that the anterior cerebellar vermis is critically involved in t he acquisition and retention of this rapidly learned autonomic conditi oned response.