Neurophysiological basis of preconditioning in humans: an fMRI study

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Neurophysiological basis of preconditioning in humans: an fMRI study Boris Kotchouzbey1*, Tao Yu1 and Simone Lang2 1 University of Tübingen, Germany 2 University of Heidelberg, Germany Preconditioning (also called sensory preconditioning) is a quite particular kind of classical conditioning comprising three stages. On stage I, two neutral stimuli are presented in pairs (S1-S2), while the third neutral stimulus (S3) is not combined with any other stimulus. Since no meaningful unconditional stimulus (UCS) is presented, no response is usually recorded. On stage II, S2 is paired with a UCS (e.g., pain), and thus a typical Pavlovian conditioning takes place, i.e., S2 becomes a conditional stimulus. On stage III, only S1 and S3 are presented, and strangely, S1 (but not S3) elicits a conditional response, although S1 has never been presented together with the UCS! In contrast to Pavlovian conditioning, which exists even in very simple animals, preconditioning demonstrates a new evolutionary ability to record and save in memory fully non-significant environmental regularities (i.e., the fact that S2 follows S1). This ability to perceive “the objective world”, i.e., the objectively existing associations of stimuli regardless of their relationship to my own needs and desires, is a cornerstone of highly-developed forms of mind including the human mind. We performed the first study of the neurophysiological underpinnings of preconditioning in humans (n = 15). S1 and S3 were two tones, S2 was a flash, and the UCS was electric shock. The critical comparison between S1 and S3 on stage III demonstrated significant activations in the cerebellum, the premotor cortex, the secondary somatosensory cortex, and the area comprising the hippocampus and amygdala. The results show which brain regions are involved in the process of extracting still meaningless statistical covariations from the ongoing stimulation. Funding: Supported by the German Research Society (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), Grant for BK. Keywords: fMRI, memory and learning Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Neural Bases of Memory and Learning Citation: Kotchouzbey B, Yu T and Lang S (2011). Neurophysiological basis of preconditioning in humans: an fMRI study. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00218 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 21 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Prof. Boris Kotchouzbey, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany, boris.kotchoubey@uni-tuebingen.de Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Boris Kotchouzbey Tao Yu Simone Lang Google Boris Kotchouzbey Tao Yu Simone Lang Google Scholar Boris Kotchouzbey Tao Yu Simone Lang PubMed Boris Kotchouzbey Tao Yu Simone Lang Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.