2015-04-13
Within the Forschergruppe 1581 “Extinction learning” we conducted a further experiment on context-dependent extinction learning under appetitive conditions. The results are now published within the special Frontiers Research Topic “Extinction learning form a mechanistic and systems perspective”. We investigated the responsibility of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) within the `prefrontal` caudal nidopallium (avian functional equivalent of mammalian prefrontal cortex) for contextual extinction learning.
The ability to flexibly adapt to new contingencies by learning and to inhibit previously acquired associations in a context-dependent manner is essential for extinction learning. To uncover neuronal network beyond the bench of aversive extinction learning we reused the previous establish sign tracking within-subject ABA-renewal paradigm (Lengersdorf et al, 2014). Here we shed light on invariant properties of the neural basis of extinction learning by employing the pigeon as a model system. Since NMDARs in prefrontal cortex have been shown to be relevant for extinction learning, we locally antagonized NMDARs through 2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerianacid (APV) during extinction learning. This slowed down extinction learning and in addition caused a disinhibition of responding to a continuously reinforced control stimulus. In subsequent retrieval sessions, spontaneous recovery was increased while ABA renewal was unaffected. The effect of APV resembles that observed in studies of fear extinction with rodents, suggesting common neural substrates of extinction under both appetitive and aversive conditions and highlighting the similarity of mammalian prefrontal cortex and the avian caudal nidopallium despite 300 million years of independent evolution.
Within the Forschergruppe 1581 “Extinction learning” we conducted a further experiment on context-dependent extinction learning under appetitive conditions. The results are now published within the special Frontiers Research Topic “Extinction learning form a mechanistic and systems perspective”. We investigated the responsibility of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) within the `prefrontal` caudal nidopallium (avian functional equivalent of mammalian prefrontal cortex) for contextual extinction learning.
The ability to flexibly adapt to new contingencies by learning and to inhibit previously acquired associations in a context-dependent manner is essential for extinction learning. To uncover neuronal network beyond the bench of aversive extinction learning we reused the previous establish sign tracking within-subject ABA-renewal paradigm (Lengersdorf et al, 2014). Here we shed light on invariant properties of the neural basis of extinction learning by employing the pigeon as a model system. Since NMDARs in prefrontal cortex have been shown to be relevant for extinction learning, we locally antagonized NMDARs through 2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerianacid (APV) during extinction learning. This slowed down extinction learning and in addition caused a disinhibition of responding to a continuously reinforced control stimulus. In subsequent retrieval sessions, spontaneous recovery was increased while ABA renewal was unaffected. The effect of APV resembles that observed in studies of fear extinction with rodents, suggesting common neural substrates of extinction under both appetitive and aversive conditions and highlighting the similarity of mammalian prefrontal cortex and the avian caudal nidopallium despite 300 million years of independent evolution.
Copyright © BioPsy 2023
Last update: Sep 29, 2023
