Dataset Information

Pretrial functional connectivity differentiates behavioral outcomes during trace eyeblink conditioning in the rabbit.

ABSTRACT: Fluctuations in neural activity can produce states that facilitate and accelerate task-related performance. Acquisition of trace eyeblink conditioning (tEBC) in the rabbit is enhanced when trials are contingent on optimal pretrial activity in the hippocampus. Other regions which are essential for whisker-signaled tEBC, such as the cerebellar interpositus nucleus (IPN), somatosensory and prelimbic cortices, may also show optimal connectivity prior to successful performance. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was acquired in nine rabbits during tEBC on the first and tenth days of initial training and once again after a 30-d, training-free hiatus. Data acquired during the intertrial interval was parsed depending on whether or not a conditioned response (CR) occurred on the upcoming trial and seed-based functional connectivity was calculated among the IPN, hippocampus, somatosensory, and prelimbic cortices. Functional connectivity between the left somatosensory cortex and right IPN, regions critical for establishing and producing CRs evoked by right vibrissae vibration and right corneal airpuff, was significantly negative prior to successful, CR trials as compared with unsuccessful, non-CR trials. Differences were not observed for any of the other possible combinations of connectivity. Our results demonstrate that specific pretrial functional connectivity exists within the rabbit brain and differentiates between upcoming behavioral response outcomes. Online analysis of network fluctuations has the potential to be used as the basis for therapeutic interventions to facilitate learning and memory.

SUBMITTER: Schroeder MP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4793201 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Pretrial functional connectivity differentiates behavioral outcomes during trace eyeblink conditioning in the rabbit.

Schroeder Matthew P MP Weiss Craig C Procissi Daniel D Wang Lei L Disterhoft John F JF

Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) 20160315 4

Fluctuations in neural activity can produce states that facilitate and accelerate task-related performance. Acquisition of trace eyeblink conditioning (tEBC) in the rabbit is enhanced when trials are contingent on optimal pretrial activity in the hippocampus. Other regions which are essential for whisker-signaled tEBC, such as the cerebellar interpositus nucleus (IPN), somatosensory and prelimbic cortices, may also show optimal connectivity prior to successful performance. Functional magnetic re ...[more]

PMID: 26980784

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Project description:Studies utilizing general learning and memory tasks have suggested the importance of neocortical structural plasticity for memory consolidation. However, these learning tasks typically result in learning of multiple different tasks over several days of training, making it difficult to determine the synaptic time course mediating each learning event. The current study used trace-eyeblink conditioning to determine the time course for neocortical spine modification during learning. With eyeblink conditioning, subjects are presented with a neutral, conditioned stimulus (CS) paired with a salient, unconditioned stimulus (US) to elicit an unconditioned response (UR). With multiple CS-US pairings, subjects learn to associate the CS with the US and exhibit a conditioned response (CR) when presented with the CS. Trace conditioning is when there is a stimulus free interval between the CS and the US. Utilizing trace-eyeblink conditioning with whisker stimulation as the CS (whisker-trace-eyeblink: WTEB), previous findings have shown that primary somatosensory (barrel) cortex is required for both acquisition and retention of the trace-association. Additionally, prior findings demonstrated that WTEB acquisition results in an expansion of the cytochrome oxidase whisker representation and synaptic modification in layer IV of barrel cortex. To further explore these findings and determine the time course for neocortical learning-induced spine modification, the present study utilized WTEB conditioning to examine Golgi-Cox stained neurons in layer IV of barrel cortex. Findings from this study demonstrated a training-dependent spine proliferation in layer IV of barrel cortex during trace associative learning. Furthermore, findings from this study showing that filopodia-like spines exhibited a similar pattern to the overall spine density further suggests that reorganization of synaptic contacts set the foundation for learning-induced neocortical modifications through the different neocortical layers.

Dataset Information

Pretrial functional connectivity differentiates behavioral outcomes during trace eyeblink conditioning in the rabbit.

Publications

Pretrial functional connectivity differentiates behavioral outcomes during trace eyeblink conditioning in the rabbit.

Similar Datasets

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