HABITUATION OF STIMULUS-ELICITED INVESTIGATION IN GERBILS AFTER OLFACTORY BULBECTOMY

Normal gerbils habituate rapidly when presented with a novel object in the stimulus-elicited investigation paradigm. In this paradigm, gentled gerbils are given a series of one minute trials with a novel object in a small arena. They are then given a series of similar trials in which the odor of strange male gerbils is under one of five holes in the floor of the same arena. Gerbils with bilateral olfactory bulbectomies habituated more slowly to the object than normal gerbils or those anosmized peripherally by unilateral bulbectomy combined with stitching of the contralateral naris. In contrast, the two anosmic groups habituated at the same rate as normal gerbils when tested for investigation of five holes and odor although neither group of anosmic gerbils selectively localized the odor. In comparison to normal gerbils with no specific odor present, habituation was delayed for both experimental groups. In addition, both anosmic groups habituated normally on an activity score. Therefore, it was concluded that habituation can be affected differentially by the surgical conditions dependent on the task being measured. These data support the hypotheses (a) that the olfactory bulbs have a role in behaviors that are not dependent on olfactory information and (b) that habituation is not a single process mediated uniformly for all behaviors. © 1979.