SLOW POTENTIAL CHANGES IN CAT BRAIN DURING CLASSICAL APPETITIVE AND AVERSIVE CONDITIONING OF JAW MOVEMENT

Slow potentials were recorded from several subcortical nuclei and from dura over motor cortex of thirty cats during classical conditioning of jaw movement using tone as conditioned stimulus, and acid or a meat-milk mix as unconditioned stimulus. Potentials in medial geniculate grew more positive during habituation and training. Slow potentials measured from lateral hypothalamus and splenial gyrus in experimental groups changed differently over the course of training than slow potentials measured from control groups. In splenil gyrus the foregoing effect was specific to groups receiving aversive reinforcement. No significant effects of treatment variables were found in motor corte xof medial ventral hypothalamus. The thalamic relay for gustatory input (VPM) appeared to be related to early development of behavioral conditioned responses, while being of little importance during response stabilization. © 1969.