Operant conditioning of H-reflex in freely moving monkeys

Abstract

The H-reflex, the electrical analog of the stretch reflex or tendon jerk, is the simplest behavior of the primate CNS. It is subserved by a wholly spinal two-neuron reflex arc. Recent studies show that this reflex can be increased or decreased by operant conditioning, and that such conditioning causes plastic changes in the spinal cord itself. Thus, H-reflex conditioning provides a powerful new model for investigating primate memory traces. The key feature of this model, the conditioning task, originally required animal restraint. This report describes a new tether-based design that allows H-reflex measurement and conditioning without restraint. This design integrates the conditioning task into the life of the freely moving animal.