Latent inhibition and stimulus generalization of the classically conditioned nictitating membrane response in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) following hippocampal ablation.

摘要: Rabbits received 0 to 450 exposures of a tone conditioned stimulus (CS) prior classical defensive conditioning the nicitating membrane response based on an infraorbital eye shock unconditioned stimulus. Tone preexposure resulted in retarded normal rabbits. This latent inhibition effect was not present animals with bilateral dorsal hippocampectomy produced by aspiration. Control neocortical and callosal aspiration lesions demonstrated similar that shown nonoperated animals. The failure CS retard hippocampal rabbits due differences threshold or mechanisms as determined tests habituation dishabituation response. A subsequent experiment employed combined-cue summation confirm fact did endow well inhibitiory properties. Finally, generalization along auditory frequency dimension indicated flatter relative gradients for hippocampals than controls, cortical controls between. These findings were discussed terms Douglas' model function.