The emotiogenic brain structures in conditioning mechanisms: Conditioned evoked potentials and motor responses

Abstract

The emotiogenic rnorphofunctional control system consists of the amygdaloid complex (AM), the zona incerta, the peri- and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus and the midbrain central gray matter (CG). The neuronal relationships between the structures of this system were established. Lesions of these structures prevented one-trial learning, whereas electrical stimulation of the AM or the CG permitted retrieval of a trace which was lower than threshold. AM stimulation accelerated learning by 5-10 times. The possible mechanisms of the emotiogenic control system of memory' are discussed. The contribution of the identified structures of the emotiogenic control system of memory was quantitatively estimated, by employing a matrix of the interaction of these structures during the performance of conditioned neurographic responses of the radial nerve. The approach established the role of the emotiogenic control system in the spatial-temporal organization of brain structures needed for the retrieval of conditioned motor responses. Weakly trained cats, in which the AM-CG had been stimulated, did not differ from well trained ones in the patterns and correlation matrices of the conditioned evoked potentials. AM-CG activation may accelerate learning by reproducing such spatial-temporal relationships that are characteristic of well trained animals.