Abstract
The object of this experiment is to study the autonomic nervous control of alpha responses elicited in classical conditioning. Twenty-two mongrel dogs were trained in classical discriminative conditioning. Typical two-phase tachycardic responses were observed in positive (CS+) trials while only the earliest, phase 1, response was observed in negative (CS-) trials. The phase 1 response, which was identical in CS+ and CS-trials, was compared in dogs before and after selective SA-nodal parasympathectomy (N=7) and beta-adrenergic blockade (N=11). The phase 1 tachycardic response was eliminated by selective SA-nodal parasympathectomy but not by beta-adrenergic blockade. We conclude that the phase 1 response observed in both CS+ and CS-trials with similar time sequence and magnitude is an alpha response. The heart rate orienting response results from a withdrawal of parasympathetic activity with little or no change in sympathetic tone.
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Li, S., Randall, D.C., Brown, D.R. et al. Autonomic nervous control of heart rate orienting and alpha responses in dog. Integr. psych. behav. 32, 113–122 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02690264
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02690264