Sensory NeuroEthology Group, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, U1028, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche , UMR 5292, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Lyon 1 University, Jean-Monnet University, Bron 69500, France.
FoodCircus Group, NutriNeuro Laboratory, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique 1286, Bordeaux University, Bordeaux 33076, France.
Learn Mem. 2022 Sep 30;29(10):349-354. doi: 10.1101/lm.053607.122. Print 2022 Oct.
Temporal contingency is a key factor in associative learning but remains weakly investigated early in life. Few data suggest simultaneous presentation is required for young to associate different stimuli, whereas adults can learn them sequentially. Here, we investigated the ability of newborn rabbits to perform sensory preconditioning and second-order conditioning using trace intervals between odor presentations. Strikingly, pups are able to associate odor stimuli with 10- and 30-sec intervals in sensory preconditioning and second-order conditioning, respectively. The effectiveness of higher-order trace conditioning in newborn rabbits reveals that very young animals can display complex learning despite their relative immaturity.
时间关联是联想学习的关键因素，但在生命早期的研究还很薄弱。很少有数据表明，年幼的动物需要同时呈现不同的刺激才能将它们联系起来，而成年人则可以按顺序学习它们。在这里，我们使用气味呈现之间的痕迹间隔来研究新生兔进行感觉前条件作用和二阶条件作用的能力。引人注目的是，幼兔分别能够在感觉前条件作用和二阶条件作用中，将气味刺激与 10 秒和 30 秒的间隔联系起来。在新生兔中，高阶痕迹条件作用的有效性表明，尽管年幼的动物相对不成熟，但它们仍然可以表现出复杂的学习能力。
