Lateralization and Behavioral Correlation of Changes in Regional Cerebral Blood Flow With Classical Conditioning of the Human Eyeblink Response

Abstract

Laterality of changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during classical conditioning of the human eyeblink response was studied and changes in rCBF were correlated with conditioned responses. In 10 normal volunteers, rCBF was mapped with positron emission tomography and H2(15)O during pairings of a binaural tone conditioned stimulus and an air puff unconditioned stimulus to the left eye. Control conditions consisted of explicitly unpaired presentations of the tone and air puff before (control) and after (extinction) pairings. During pairings, rCBF increased significantly in right primary auditory cortex (contralateral to air puff) and decreased significantly in left and right cerebellar cortex. There were also increases in rCBF in right auditory association cortex and left temporoccipital cortex. Decreases in rCBF were noted bilaterally in the temporal poles and in the left prefrontal cortex. Positive correlations between changes in rCBF and percent conditioned responses were located in middle cerebellum, right superior temporal cortex, left dorsal premotor cortex, right middle cingulate, and right superior temporal cortex. There were negative correlations in left inferior prefrontal cortex, left middle prefrontal cortex, and right inferior parietal cortex. The data replicate our previous findings of lateralized changes in rCBF following presentations of a binaural tone and air puff to the right eye and indicate that there are pairing-specific changes in primary auditory cortex and cerebellum that are not unique to the left or right hemisphere but are a function of the side of training. The commonalities as well as differences in regional involvement in our present and previous experiment as well as in other eyeblink studies illustrate the advantage of functional neuroimaging to quantify different strategies used by the brain to perform seemingly similar functions. Indeed, the data support the notion that learning-related changes can be detected in a number of specific, but not necessarily invariant, brain regions, and that the involvement of any one region is dependent on the characteristics of the particular learning situation.

Evaluation of bidirectional interstimulus interval (ISI) shift in auditory delay eye-blink conditioning in healthy humans

“…While these ideas are speculative, the lack of N100 and P200 learning-related associations could reflect the possibility that auditory cortex is not necessary for normal CR acquisition in humans. However, it should be noted that several functional imaging studies in humans have in fact shown auditory cortical activity for paired trials during EBC (Molchan, Sunderland, McIntosh, Herscovitch, & Schreurs, 1994;Schreurs et al, 1997; but see Ramnani, Toni, Josephs, Ashburner, & Passingham, 2000, for an exception). Further work will be necessary to determine the specific role (if any) of the sensory cortex during delay EBC in humans.…”

A common functional neural network for overt production of speech and gesture

“…[Insert Figure 2 here] Second, we used seed PLS to assess functional connectivity, understood as the network of areas whose activity statistically correlates with activity in a seed region or regions (i.e., a seed voxel) across the task conditions (Della-Maggiore et al, 2000;McIntosh, 1999;McIntosh et al, 1997;Schreurs et al, 1997). Seed PLS analysis is almost identical to task PLS analysis.…”

Imaging learning and memory: Classical conditioning

“…For the purposes of the current review, we will narrow our focus to functional imaging studies that have examined classical conditioning by using adequate control conditions. Classical conditioning in humans has centered on paradigms such as eyelid, jaw, and limb movement conditioning, and fear conditioning (Molchan et al, 1994;Hugdahl et al, 1995;Logan and Grafton, 1995;Blaxton et al, 1996;Timmann et al, 1996;Schreurs et al, 1997bSchreurs et al, , 2001Hugdahl, 1998;LaBar et al, 1998;Knight et al, 1999;Buchel and Dolan, 2000;Fischer et al, 2000;Maschke et al, 2000).…”