Lewis J L, Lo Turco J J, Solomon P R
Behav Neurosci. 1987 Apr;101(2):151-7. doi: 10.1037//0735-7044.101.2.151.
Rabbits were classically conditioned to emit a nictitating membrane response (NMR) to either a light or tone conditioned stimulus (CS) paired with an eye shock unconditioned stimulus (UCS). They then received lesions of the middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) or served as unoperated controls. Following surgery, they were given separate presentations of tone, light, and vibratory CSs, each paired with the eye shock UCS. In this way, conditioned responses (CR) to the previously trained light or tone served as a test of retention, whereas CRs to the remaining two conditioned stimuli (tone and vibratory or light and vibratory) served as a test of acquisition. The results of the study revealed that rabbits with complete lesions of the MCP showed disrupted acquisition and retention of the conditioned NMR to all stimuli, rabbits with partial MCP lesions also showed disrupted acquisition and retention to all CSs, but to a lesser degree, and animals with lesions that missed the MCP and unoperated controls both showed normal acquisition and retention of the conditioned NMR. These data are consistent with the view that the cerebellum is an essential part of the circuit for classical conditioning of the NM response and that information about CSs in the auditory, visual, and tactile modalities reach the cerebellum by way of the MCP.
兔子通过经典条件反射训练，对与眼部电击非条件刺激（UCS）配对的光或音调条件刺激（CS）产生瞬膜反应（NMR）。然后，它们接受小脑中间脚（MCP）损伤或作为未手术的对照。手术后，分别给予它们音调、光和振动CS，每个都与眼部电击UCS配对。通过这种方式，对先前训练的光或音调的条件反应（CR）作为记忆保持的测试，而对其余两个条件刺激（音调与振动或光与振动）的CR作为习得的测试。研究结果显示，MCP完全损伤的兔子对所有刺激的条件NMR的习得和记忆保持均受到破坏，MCP部分损伤的兔子对所有CS的习得和记忆保持也受到破坏，但程度较轻，而未损伤MCP的损伤动物和未手术的对照动物对条件NMR的习得和记忆保持均正常。这些数据与以下观点一致：小脑是NM反应经典条件反射回路的重要组成部分，并且听觉、视觉和触觉模式下关于CS的信息通过MCP到达小脑。
