The amygdala: A potential player in timing CS–US intervals

Abstract

Pavlovian conditioning is the reference paradigm for the study of associative learning based on the programmed relation of two stimuli, the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US). Some authors believe that learning the CS–US interval is a co-requisite of or a pre-requisite to learning the CS–US association. There is a substantial literature showing that the amygdala is a critical player in Pavlovian conditioning, with both aversive and appetitive USs. We review a sparse but growing body of literature suggesting that the amygdala may also participate in processing the timing of the CS–US interval. We discuss whether the amygdala, in particular its central, basal and lateral nuclei, in concert with the network it belongs to, may play a role in learning the CS–US interval. We also suggest new and dedicated strategies that would result in better knowledge of the neural mechanisms underlying the learning of the CS–US time interval in isolation from the CS–US association.