Jordan W P, Leaton R N
Behav Neurosci. 1983 Oct;97(5):710-24. doi: 10.1037//0735-7044.97.5.710.
Extensive damage to the mesencephalic reticular formation (MRF) in rats altered long-term habituation of the acoustic startle response without disrupting short-term habituation. The MRF lesions did not alter initial startle amplitudes, but the animals with lesions were unable to attain as low a long-term asymptote of habituation as could control animals. Subsequent manipulation of stimulus intensity and interstimulus interval revealed no differences in short-term habituation between the two groups. Large lesions to the inferior colliculus (IC) did not disrupt long-term habituation of the acoustic startle response, but these animals were unable to suppress responding as much as controls to intense stimuli presented rapidly. The deficits in long-term habituation following MRF lesions suggested a disruption of an extrinsic, inhibitory mechanism of habituation. The deficits following IC lesions could be due either to a disruption of a short-term habituation mechanism or to an increase in response sensitization produced by the lesions.
大鼠中脑网状结构（MRF）的广泛损伤改变了听觉惊吓反应的长期习惯化，而未破坏短期习惯化。MRF损伤并未改变初始惊吓幅度，但有损伤的动物无法达到与对照动物一样低的长期习惯化渐近线。随后对刺激强度和刺激间隔的操作显示，两组之间短期习惯化没有差异。下丘（IC）的大面积损伤并未破坏听觉惊吓反应的长期习惯化，但这些动物在快速呈现强烈刺激时，无法像对照动物那样充分抑制反应。MRF损伤后长期习惯化的缺陷表明习惯化的一种外在抑制机制受到破坏。IC损伤后的缺陷可能是由于短期习惯化机制的破坏，或者是损伤导致的反应敏感性增加。
