Abstract
This study employed bilateral, intraventricular injections of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-HDA) to examine the effects of monoamine depletion on Pavlovian conditioning of the rabbit's nictitating membrane response. 6-HDA produced dose-dependent and highly correlated decreases in the rate of acquisition of conditioned responses and in the telencephalic content of 5-HT, DA, and NE. At the highest dose of 6-HDA (1340 μg), 5-HT, DA, and NE were reduced by 42, 48, and 89%, respectively, and the number of trials required to achieve criterion acquisition was increased by 123%. Control experiments established that the highest dose of 6-HDA: 1) had no effect on the unconditioned nictitating membrane reflex; 2) had no effect on the threshold of the conditioned stimulus for eliciting conditioned responses; and 3) produced only a small, less than 5%, decrease in nonassociative responding. It was concluded that decreases in 5-HT, DA, and NE can impair associative learning without altering sensory or motor function.
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Special issue dedicated to Dr. Morris H. Aprison.
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Winsky, L., Harvey, J.A. 6-Hydroxydopamine induced impairment of Pavlovian conditioning in the rabbit. Neurochem Res 17, 415–422 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00969886
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00969886