Eyeblink classical conditioning: Hippocampal formation is for neutral stimulus associations as cerebellum is for association-response

Extensive evidence has been amassed that the cerebellum, hippocampus, and a ssociated circuitry are activated during classical conditioning of the nict itating membrane/eyeblink response. In this article, the authors argue that the cerebellum is essential to all eyeblink classical conditioning paradig ms. In addition, the septohippocampal system plays a critical role when the classical conditioning paradigm requires the formation of associations in addition to the simple association between the conditioned and unconditione d stimuli. When only a simple conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus a ssociation is needed, the septohippocampal system has a more limited, modul atory role. The neutral stimulus association versus simple association-resp onse distinction is one of the ways in which declarative or relational memo ry can be separated from nondeclarative or nonrerelational memory in classi cal conditioning paradigms.