Skip to main content

Motoneuronal Control of Eye Retraction/Nictitating Membrane Extension in Rabbit

  • Chapter

Abstract

The rabbit nictitating membane conditioning preparation, which was initially developed by Gormezano et al. (1962), has begun to be widely used as a model mammalian system in which to analyze the neurobiological substrates of learning. The preparation offers many technical advantages for this use (Thompson, 1976; Disterhoft et al., 1977). Since conditioning occurs rapidly, even when the rabbit’s head is fixed, the activity of single neurons may be related to behavioral response acquisition (Kraus and Disterhoft, 1982); auditory conditioned stimuli may be well controlled (Kraus and Disterhoft, 1981); and behavioral measurement is facilitated (Quinn et al., 1984).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Baker, R., McCrea, R.A., and Spencer, R.F., 1980, Synaptic organization of cat accessory abducens nucleus, J. Neurophysiol. 43: 771–791.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berthier, N.E. and Moore, J.W., 1980, Role of extraocular muscles in the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) nictitating membrane response, Physiol. Behav. 24: 931–937.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berthier, N.E., and Moore, J.W., 1983, The nictitative membrane response: an electrophysiological study of the abducens nucleus in rabbit, Brain Res. 258: 201–210.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bienfang, D.C., 1978, The course of direct projections from the abducens nucleus to the contralateral medial rectus subdivision of the oculomotor nucleus in the cat, Brain Res. 145: 277–289.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cegavske, C.F., Harrison, T.A., and Torigoe, Y., 1984, Identification of the substrates of the unconditioned response in the classically conditioned, rabbit nictitating membrane preparation, in: Classical Conditioning ( I. Gormezano, W.F. Prokasy, and R.F. Thompson, eds.), Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, New Jersey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cegavske, C. F., Patterson, M. M., and Thompson, R. F., 1979, Neuronal unit activity in the abducens nucleus during classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane response in the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 93: 595–609.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cegavske, C. F., Thompson, R. F., Patterson, M. M., and Gormezano, I., 1976, Mechanisms of efferent neuronal control of the reflex nictitating membrane response in rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), J. Comp. Neurol. 90: 411–423.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Disterhoft, J.F. and Shipley, M.T., 1980, Accessory abducens nucleus innervation of rabbit retractor bulbi motoneurons localized with HRP retrograde transport, Neurosci. Abstr. 6: 478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Disterhoft, J.F., Quinn, K.J., Weiss, C., and Shipley, M.T., 1985, Accessory abducens nucleus and conditioned eye retraction/nictitating membrane extension in rabbit, J. Neuroscience 5: 941–950.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Disterhoft, J.F., Kwan, H.H., and Lo, W.D., 1977, Nictitating membrane conditioning to tone in the immobilized albino rabbit, Brain Res. 137: 127–143.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gormezano, I., Schneiderman, N., Deaux, E.B., and Fuentes, I., 1962, Nictitating membrane: Classical conditioning and extinction in the albino rabbit, Science 138: 33–34.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, K., Gueritaud, J.P., Horcholle-Bossavit, G., and Tyc-Dumont, S., 1979, Anatomical and electrophysiological identification of motoneurons supplying the cat retractor bulbi muscle, Exp. Brain Res. 34: 541–550.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, K. and Horcholle-Bossavit, G., 1983, Convergence of trigeminal afferents on retractor bulbi motoneurones in the anesthetized cat, J. Physiol. (London) 339: 41–60.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, T.S., McMaster, S.E., Harvey, J.A., and Gormezano, I., 1981, Localization of retractor bulbi motoneurons in the rabbit, Brain Res. 226: 93–106.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, T.A., Cegavske, C.F., and Thompson, R.F., 1978, Neuronal activity recorded in the abducens and oculomotor nuclei during nictitating membrane conditioning in the rabbit, Neurosci. Abstr. 4: 259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, J.A., Marek, G.J., Johannsen, A.M., McMaster, S.E., Land, T., and Gormezano, I., 1983, Role of the accessory abducens nucleus in the nictitating membrane response of the rabbit, Neurosci. Abstr. 9: 330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraus, N. and Disterhoft, J.F., 1981, Location of rabbit auditory cortex and description of single unit activity, Brain Res. 214: 275–286.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kraus, N. and Disterhoft, J.F., 1982, Response plasticity of single neurons in rabbit auditory association cortex during tone-signalled learning, Brain Res. 246: 205–215.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, J.S., McCormick, D.A., and Thompson, R.F., 1982, Ipsilateral cerebellar lesions prevent learning of the clasically conditioned nictitating membrane/eyelid response, Brain Res. 242: 190–193.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lorente de No, R., 1933a, The interaction of the corneal reflex and vestibular nystagmus, Am. J. Physiol. 103: 704–711.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorente de No, R., 1933b, Vestibulo-ocular reflex arc, Arch. Neurol. Psychiatr. 30: 245–329.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matsumura, M. and Woody, C.D., 1982, Excitability changes of facial motoneurons of cats related to conditioned and unconditioned facial motor responses, in: Conditioning: Representation of Involved Neural Functions ( C.D. Woody, ed.), Plenum Press, New York, pp. 451–457.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCormick, D.A., Lavond, D.G., and Thompson, R.F., 1982, Concomitant classical conditioning of the rabbit nictitating membrane and eyelid responses: correlations and implications, Physiol. Behav. 28: 769–775.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCormick, D.A. and Thompson, R.F., 1984, Cerebellum: Essential involvement in the classically conditioned eyelid response, Science 233: 296–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, J.W. and Desmond, J.E., 1982, Latency of the nictitating membrane response to periocular electrostimulation in unanesthetized rabbits, Physiol. Behav. 28: 1041–1046.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, K.J., Disterhoft, J.F., and Weiss, C., 1982, Accessory abducens single unit activity during NM conditioning in the rabbit, Neurosci. Abstr. 8: 314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, K.J., Kennedy, R.P., Weiss, C., and Disterhoft, J.F., 1984, Eyeball retraction latency in the conscious rabbit measured with a new photodiode technique, J. Neurosci. Methods 10: 29–39.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, R., Baker, R., and McCrea, R.A., 1980, Localization and morphology of cat retractor bulbi motoneurons, J. Neurophysiol. 43: 754–770.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, R.F., 1976, The search for the engram, Am. Psychol. 31: 209–227.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, R.F., 1980, The search for the engram, II, in: Neural Mechanisms of Behavior ( D. McFadden, ed.), Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 172–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, R.F., McCormick, D.A., Lavond, D.G., Clark, G.A., Kettner, R.E., and Mauk, M.D., 1983, The engram found? Initial localization of the memory trace for a basic form of associative learning, in: Progress in Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology ( J. M. Sprague and A. N. Epstein, eds.), Academic Press, New York, pp. 167–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, C. and Disterhoft, J. F., 1985, Connections of the rabbit abducens nucleus, Brain Res. 326: 172–178.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1986 Plenum Press, New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Disterhoft, J.F., Weiss, C. (1986). Motoneuronal Control of Eye Retraction/Nictitating Membrane Extension in Rabbit. In: Alkon, D.L., Woody, C.D. (eds) Neural Mechanisms of Conditioning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2115-6_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2115-6_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-9251-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-2115-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics