Hippocampal theta activity, learning and behavioral tendencies

2014

Trace eyeblink conditioning is a method that models a declarative, awareness-dependent form of learning. Hippocampal theta activity, an approximately 3.5 - 8.5 Hz oscillatory pattern in rabbits, has been associated with learning-related phenomena: arousal, attentional processes and association forming. In some studies theta-contingent training, given during a brain state rich in hippocampal theta oscillation, has improved the initial learning in trace eyeblink conditioning. However, other laboratories have failed to replicate this effect. This study explored the effects of theta-contingent conditioning and extinction on learning, and the connection between the magnitude of spontaneous hippo…