Stopfer M, Chen X, Tai Y T, Huang G S, Carew T J
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8205, USA.
J Neurosci. 1996 Aug 15;16(16):4923-32. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.16-16-04923.1996.
The study of habituation in animals with relatively simple nervous systems has contributed significantly to the understanding of mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Using the tail-elicited siphon withdrawal reflex of Aplysia, which is mediated in part by bilaterally symmetrical clusters of tail sensory neurons, we found that both short-term and long-term habituation can be restricted laterally, such that habituation produced by stimulation of one side of the tail does not generalize to the other side. Further experiments in this preparation revealed that long-term, laterally restricted habituation is sensitive to the temporal pattern with which stimuli are presented. We also determined that both short-term and long-term habituation can take place in a reduced behavioral preparation, and that short-term habituation can be restricted within relatively small stimulation sites located on the same side of the tail. These results provide insights into the cellular organization of habituation, and they provide a useful preparation for a cellular analysis of this basic form of learning.
对具有相对简单神经系统的动物的习惯化研究，为理解学习和记忆的潜在机制做出了重大贡献。利用海兔的尾部诱发虹吸管退缩反射，该反射部分由尾部感觉神经元的双侧对称簇介导，我们发现短期和长期习惯化都可以在侧向受到限制，即刺激一侧尾部所产生的习惯化不会扩散到另一侧。在此实验准备中的进一步实验表明，长期的、侧向受限的习惯化对刺激呈现的时间模式敏感。我们还确定短期和长期习惯化都可以在简化的行为准备中发生，并且短期习惯化可以限制在位于尾部同一侧的相对较小的刺激部位内。这些结果为习惯化的细胞组织提供了见解，并且为这种基本学习形式的细胞分析提供了有用的实验准备。
