Medial auditory thalamus is necessary for acquisition and retention of eyeblink conditioning to cochlear nucleus stimulation

Hunter E Halverson; Amy Poremba; John H Freeman

doi:10.1101/lm.036947.114

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Medial auditory thalamus is necessary for acquisition and retention of eyeblink conditioning to cochlear nucleus stimulation

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Medial auditory thalamus is necessary for acquisition and retention of eyeblink conditioning to cochlear nucleus stimulation

Hunter E Halverson, Amy Poremba and John H Freeman

Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), Vol.22(5), pp.258-266

05/2015

DOI: 10.1101/lm.036947.114

PMCID: PMC4408770

PMID: 25878138

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https://doi.org/10.1101/lm.036947.114View

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Abstract

Associative learning tasks commonly involve an auditory stimulus, which must be projected through the auditory system to the sites of memory induction for learning to occur. The cochlear nucleus (CN) projection to the pontine nuclei has been posited as the necessary auditory pathway for cerebellar learning, including eyeblink conditioning. However, the medial auditory thalamic nuclei (MATN), consisting of the medial division of the medial geniculate, suprageniculate, and posterior interlaminar nucleus have also been implicated as a critical auditory relay to the pontine nuclei for cerebellum-dependent motor learning. The MATN also conveys auditory information to the amygdala necessary for avoidance and fear conditioning. The current study used CN stimulation to increase activity in the pontine nuclei, relative to a tone stimulus, and possibly provide sufficient input to the cerebellum for acquisition or retention of eyeblink conditioning during MATN inactivation. Primary and secondary effects of CN stimulation and MATN inactivation were examined using 2-deoxy-glucose autoradiography. Stimulation of CN increased activity in the pontine nuclei, however, this increase was not sufficient for cerebellar learning during MATN inactivation. Results of the current experiment provide additional evidence indicating the MATN may be the critical auditory relay for many associative learning tasks.

Cues

Muscimol - pharmacology

Cochlear Nucleus - physiology

Acoustic Stimulation

Auditory Pathways - drug effects

Rats, Long-Evans

Rats

Male

Cochlear Nucleus - drug effects

Mediodorsal Thalamic Nucleus - drug effects

Conditioning, Eyelid - physiology

Animals

Auditory Pathways - physiology

GABA-A Receptor Agonists - pharmacology

Mediodorsal Thalamic Nucleus - physiology

Conditioning, Eyelid - drug effects

Details

Title: Subtitle: Medial auditory thalamus is necessary for acquisition and retention of eyeblink conditioning to cochlear nucleus stimulation
Creators: Hunter E Halverson - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA hunter.halverson@utexas.edu
Amy Poremba - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
John H Freeman - Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), Vol.22(5), pp.258-266
DOI: 10.1101/lm.036947.114
PMID: 25878138
PMCID: PMC4408770
NLM abbreviation: Learn Mem
ISSN: 1072-0502
eISSN: 1549-5485
Publisher: United States
Grant note: R01 MH080005 / NIMH NIH HHS MH080005 / NIMH NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 05/2015
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984065754702771

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