From Neurocenter Magendie, Bordeaux
Cannabinoid modulation of higher-order mental processes: From mediated learning to reality testing
Higher-order conditioning processes explain why individuals are very often repulsed or attracted by stimuli (persons, places, sounds), which do not have intrinsic repellent or appealing value and were never explicitly paired with negative or positive outcomes. A possible explanation of these “ungrounded” aversions or repulsions is that these stimuli were incidentally associated with other cues directly reinforced. This is called higher order conditioning or mediated learning (ML). However, with increased number of incidental associations, the subjects acquire more information, allowing the separation between the real saliences of two different stimuli. Therefore, with the increase of training, ML evolves into what researchers define as “reality testing” (RT). Importantly, these behavioral processes involve the hippocampus (HPC), are characterized by defined and accessible phases that can be studied in rodents. During the talk, I will explain how we can study higher-order conditioning behaviors in mice and which are the possible mechanisms underlying these complex behaviors.
 |