Redundancy of visual information in aversive conditioning: Rol of the superior colliculus

Autor: Cardenas, Fernando P, León, Laura A, García, Misael F
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: Suma Psicologica, Vol 16, Iss 1, Pp 9-17 (2009)
ISSN: 0121-4381
Popis: A relevant feature of biological systems is the parallel or distributed processing. This kind of information processing ensures a functional redundancy which serves as a mechanism for allowing a functional level even in the absence of some regions of the system. In the case of the visual system the parallel processing relies on three simultaneous pathways, each one of them carrying out certain aspects of visual information processing. The collicular branch of this parallel system is related to emotional aspects. The collicular pathway transmits information from the superior colliculus to the amygdala, via the suprageniculate nucleus. Here we assess the effect of the temporal inhibition of the superior colliculus on the acquisition of a classical aversive conditioning. For this Wistar rats received a intracollicular microinjection of lidocaine (1%) immediately before the training session. Our results clearly showed that the superior colliculus in not the main structure required to the acquisition of this kind of associative learning. This suggests that other subcortical structures must be responsible for relaying information to the amygdala in order to allow the aversive conditioning acquisition. From this, new possibilities are open to study a probable way to understand the redundant properties of the mammal visual system.
Databáze: OpenAIRE