Classical conditioning of eyelid and mystacial vibrissae responses in conscious mice

Learn Mem. 2004 Nov-Dec;11(6):724-6. doi: 10.1101/lm.81204. Epub 2004 Nov 10.

Abstract

The murine vibrissae sensorimotor system has been scrutinized as a target of motor learning through trace classical conditioning. Conditioned eyelid responses were acquired by using weak electrical whisker-pad stimulation as conditioned stimulus (CS) and strong electrical periorbital stimulation as unconditioned stimulus (US). In addition, conditioned vibrissal protraction was obtained pairing either weak electrical whisker-pad stimulation or a tone as CS, with a strong electric shock delivered in the whisker-pad as US. This finding suggests that evolutionary pressure has selected a sensorimotor system capable of constructing conditioned responses on the basis of temporal relationships of stimuli, independently of any putative functional purpose.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Stimulation
  • Animals
  • Association Learning
  • Blinking / physiology
  • Conditioning, Classical*
  • Conditioning, Eyelid*
  • Cues*
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Mice
  • Movement*
  • Vibrissae*