Classical conditioning using stimulation of the inferior olive as the unconditioned stimulus

Abstract

We show that conditioned eyelid responses develop when the unconditioned stimulus is electrical stimulation of the dorsal accessory nucleus of the inferior olive. When compared to conditioning using a standard unconditioned stimulus (air puff), the conditioning produced in this manner appears quite normal: the responses develop at a similar rate, are of comparable magnitude and topography, and demonstrate a steep interstimulus interval function; and response topography varies according to the interstimulus interval. These data indicate that activation of neurons in the dorsal accessory olive is a sufficient condition for a stimulus to be an effective unconditioned stimulus. Previous experiments indicate the dorsal accessory olive is necessary in that lesions have effects functionally equivalent to removal of the unconditioned stimulus. These data indicate that the dorsal accessory olive forms a portion of the pathway conveying information about the occurrence of an unconditioned stimulus to sites of synaptic plasticity responsible for conditioning.