Brown Alexa, Martins Melissa, Richard Isabelle, Chaudhri Nadia
Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H4B-1R6, Canada.
Learn Behav. 2023 Dec;51(4):468-481. doi: 10.3758/s13420-023-00583-3. Epub 2023 Apr 24.
Renewal is the return of extinguished responding after removal from the extinction context. Renewal has been extensively studied using classical aversive conditioning procedures that measure a passive freezing response to an aversive conditioned stimulus. However, coping responses to aversive stimuli are complex and can be reflected in passive and active behaviours. Using the shock-probe defensive burying task, we investigated whether different coping responses are susceptible to renewal. During conditioning, male, Long-Evans rats were placed into a specific context (Context A) where an electrified shock-probe delivered a 3 mA shock upon contact. During extinction, the shock-probe was unarmed in either the same (Context A) or a different context (Context B). Renewal of conditioned responses was assessed in the conditioning context (ABA) or in a novel context (ABC or AAB). Renewal of passive coping responses, indicated by an increased latency and a decreased duration of shock-probe contacts, was observed in all groups. However, renewal of passive coping, measured by increased time spent on the side of the chamber opposite the shock-probe, was only found in the ABA group. Renewal of active coping responses linked to defensive burying was not observed in any group. The present findings highlight the presence of multiple psychological processes underlying even basic forms of aversive conditioning and demonstrate the importance of assessing a broader set of behaviours to tease apart these different underlying mechanisms. The current findings suggest that passive coping responses may be more reliable indicators for assessing renewal than active coping behaviours associated with defensive burying.
恢复是指在从消退情境中移除后，消退的反应再次出现。恢复现象已通过经典厌恶条件反射程序得到广泛研究，这些程序测量对厌恶条件刺激的被动僵住反应。然而，对厌恶刺激的应对反应是复杂的，可体现在被动和主动行为中。我们使用电击探针防御性埋土任务，研究了不同的应对反应是否易出现恢复现象。在条件反射过程中，将雄性长 Evans 大鼠置于特定情境（情境 A）中，在此情境下，带电的电击探针一旦接触就会施加 3 毫安的电击。在消退过程中，电击探针在相同情境（情境 A）或不同情境（情境 B）中不带有电。在条件反射情境（ABA）或新情境（ABC 或 AAB）中评估条件反应的恢复情况。所有组均观察到被动应对反应的恢复，表现为电击探针接触的潜伏期延长和持续时间缩短。然而，仅在 ABA 组中发现通过增加在电击探针对面的箱侧停留时间来衡量的被动应对的恢复。在任何组中均未观察到与防御性埋土相关的主动应对反应的恢复。本研究结果突出了即使是基本形式的厌恶条件反射背后也存在多种心理过程，并证明了评估更广泛的行为集以区分这些不同潜在机制的重要性。当前研究结果表明，与防御性埋土相关的主动应对行为相比，被动应对反应可能是评估恢复的更可靠指标。
