Spinal kittens: Long-term increases in electromyograms due to a conditioning routine☆

Abstract

Abstract The effects of conditioning and pseudo-conditioning routines on the habituation of electromyographic responses of spinal kittens to the pinches of the tail (CS) and toe (US) were compared for 5 days. Habituating animals in a conditioning routine caused daily increases in their responses to tail pinches. Habituating them in a pseudo-conditioning routine had no comparable effect. Hence, a conditioning routine appears to cause long-term increases in the responsiveness of the isolated lumbo-sacral spinal cord.