[Habituation and effects of protein synthesis blockers on neuronal activity in the cerebral sensorimotor cortex in rabbits].

The investigation of brain functions has been for many years an exciting and at the same time a very complex and enigmatic domain of research. In our experiments we followed the occurrence of habituation, a simple form of learning, during a peripheral light stimulation, in sensorimotor cortex neurons of rabbits. In the majority of the mature neurons habituation occurred with repeated light stimulations with same features, while in immature rabbits it was less frequently observed and was slower. Since in basic patterns of habituation and learning, cell protein plays a significant role, we followed the effects of protein synthesis blockers in the process of training and electrogenesis. Microiontophoretic application of actinomycin D and cyclohexamide compromised the occurrence of habituation in high number of registered neurons, while the application of a neurotransmitter, acetyl choline, promoted habituation in the sensorimotor brain cortex neurons of immature experimental animals.