Summary
In toads,Bufo bufo L., ACTH (1 I.U.) causes a retardation of extinction compared with Ringer administration irrespective of whether the animals have received the ACTH injection before or at the end of acquisition. Treatment with ACTH 20 min prior to acquisition lowers the starting activity. Therefore, habituation is completed earlier than in Ringer controls. The effect of ACTH treatment is stimulus-specific, as toads habituated to a wormlike stripe show normal turning activity to a triangle even under the influence of ACTH.
The conformity of these results with the ACTH effect on complex learning behaviour especially in rats may indicate an underlying common principle. It is concluded that ACTH and, possibly, related peptides elicite neuronal events which favour learning and memory processes even in lower vertebrates.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Applezweig, M.H., Baudry, F.D.: The pituitary-adrenocortical system in avoidance learning. Psychol. Rep.1, 417–420 (1955)
Beatty, P.A., Beatty, W.W., Bowman, R.E., Gilchrist, J.O.: The effects of ACTH, adrenalectomy and dexamethasone on the acquisition of an avoidance response in rats. Physiol. Behav.5, 939–944 (1970)
Bohus, B., Nyakas, Cs., Endröczi, E.: Effects of adrenocorticotropic hormone on avoidance behaviour of intact and adrenalectomized rats. Int. J. Neuropharmacol.7, 307–314 (1968)
Büchmann, N.B., Spies, I., Vijayakumar, S.: Hypophysial corticotropic function and its hypothalamic control inBufo bufo (L.) evaluated by the plasma concentration of corticosterone. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.18, 306–314 (1972)
Delft, A.M.L. van, Kitay, J.I.: Effect of ACTH on single unit activity in the diencephalon of intact and hypophysectomized rats. Neuroendocrinology9, 188–196 (1972)
Eikmanns, K.-H.: Verhaltensphysiologische Untersuchungen über den Beutefang und das Bewegungssehen der Erdkröte (Bufo bufo L). Z. Tierpsychol.12, 229–253 (1955)
Endröczi, E., Lissak, K., Fekete, T., Wied, D. de: Effects of ACTH on EEG habituation in human subjects. In: Pituitary, adrenal and the brain. Wied, D. de, Weijnen, J.A.W.M. (eds.). Prog. Brain Res.32, 254–262 (1970)
Ewert, J.-P.: Untersuchungen über die Anteile zentralnervöser Aktionen an der taxisspezifischen Ermüdung beim Beutefang der Erdkröte (Bufo bufo L.). Z. vergl. Physiol.57, 263–298 (1967)
Ewert, J.-P.: Neuro-Ethologie, Einführung in die neurophysiologischen Grundlagen des Verhaltens. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer 1976
Ewert, J.-P., Kehl, W.: Configurational prey-selection by individual experience in the toadBufo bufo. J. Comp. Physiol.126, 105–114 (1978)
Gold, P.E., Buskirk, R. van: Effects of posttrial hormone injections on memory processes. Horm. Behav.7, 509–517 (1976)
Gray, J.A.: Effect of ACTH on extinction of rewarded behaviour is blocked by previous administration of ACTH. Nature229, 52–54 (1971)
Greiner, B.: Der Einfluß von ACTH auf die Habituation der Richtbewegung bei der ErdkröteBufo bufo L. Staatsexamensarbeit, Universität Karlsruhe (1978)
Greven, H.M., Wied, D. de: The active sequence in the ACTH molecule responsible for inhibition of the extinction of conditioned avoidance behaviour in rats. Eur. J. Pharmacol.2, 14–16 (1967)
Guth, S., Levine, S., Seward, J.P.: Appetitive acquisition and extinction effects with exogeneous ACTH. Physiol. Behav.7, 195–200 (1971)
Hanke, W.: Neuroendocrinology. In: Frog neurobiology. Llinás, R., Precht, W. (eds.), pp. 975–1020. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer 1976
Hanke, W.: The adrenal cortex of Amphibia. In: General, comparative and clinical endocrinology of the adrenal cortex, Vol. 2. Chester Jones, I., Henderson, I.W. (eds.). pp. 419–495. London, New York, San Francisco: Academic Press 1978
Hennessy, J.W., Cohen, M.E., Rosen, H.J.: Adrenocortical influences upon the extinction of an appetitive runway response. Physiol. Behav.11, 767–770 (1973)
Horn, I.: The stimulatory effect of hypothalamic and mesencephalic tissue on the interrenal of tadpoles ofXenopus laevis DAUDIN. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.29, 175–189 (1976)
Kendler, K., Hennessy, J.W., Smotherman, W.P., Levine, S.: An ACTH effect on recovery from conditioned taste aversion. Behav. Biol.17, 225–229 (1976)
Levine, S.: Stress and behavior. Scient. Am.224, 26–31 (1971)
Messenger, J.P.: Learning in the cuttlefish,Sepia. Anim. Behav.21, 801–826 (1973)
Miller, R.E., Ogawa, N.: The effect of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) on avoidance conditioning in the adrenalectomized rat. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol.55, 211–213 (1962)
Motta, M., Mangili, G., Martini, L.: A “short” feedback loop in the control of ACTH secretion. Endocrinology77, 392–395 (1965)
Neumann, U.: Untersuchungen zur Sekretion von ACTH und zur Kinetik des Interrenalorgans bei Amphibien. Zool. Jahrb. Physiol.77, 60–97 (1973)
Sachs, L.: Statistische Methoden. 2. Aufl. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer 1972
Steiner, F.A.: Effects of ACTH and corticosteroids on single neurons in the hypothalamus. In: Pituitary, adrenal and the brain. Wied, D. de, Weijnen, J.A.W.M. (eds.). Prog. Brain Res.32, 102–107 (1970)
Vaudry, H., Oliver, C., Jegou, S., Leboulenger, F., Tonon, M.-C., Delarue, C., Morin, J.-P., Vaillant, R.: Immunoreactive melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in the brain of the frog (Rana esculenta L.). Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.34, 391–401 (1978)
Wertheim, G.A., Conner, R.L., Levine, S.: Adrenocortical influences on free-operant avoidance behaviour. J. Exp. Anal. Behav.10, 555–563 (1967)
Wied, D. de: Influence of anterior pituitary on avoidance learning and escape behaviour. Am. J. Physiol.207, 255–259 (1964)
Wied, D. de: Inhibitory effect of ACTH and related peptides on extinction of conditioned avoidance behaviour in rats. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med.122, 28–32 (1966)
Wied, D. de: Opposite effects of ACTH and glucocorticosteroids on extinction of conditioned avoidance behaviour. Excerpta Medica Int. Congr. Ser.132, 945–951 (1967)
Wied, D. de: Pituitary-adrenal system hormones and behavior. In: The neurosciences, Third Study Program. Schmitt, F.O. (ed.), pp. 653–666. Cambridge: MIT Press 1974
Wied, D. de, Delft, A.M.L. van, Gispen, W.H., Weijnen, J.A.W.M., Wimersma, Greidanus, Tj, B. van: The role of pituitary-adrenal system hormones in active avoidance conditioning. In: Hormones and behavior. Levine, S. (ed.), pp. 135–171. New York: Academic Press 1972
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
We thank Prof. Dr. W. Hanke, Karlsruhe, for fruitful discussions.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Horn, E., Greiner, B. & Horn, I. The effect of ACTH on habituation of the turning reaction in the toadBufo bufo L.. J. Comp. Physiol. 131, 129–135 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00619073
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00619073