EYEBLINK CONDITIONING IN THE INFANT RAT - AN ANIMAL-MODEL OF LEARNINGIN DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROTOXICOLOGY

Classical conditioning of the eyeblink reflex is a relatively simple p rocedure for studying associative learning that was first developed fo r use with human subjects more than half a century ago. The use of thi s procedure in laboratory animals by psychologists and neuroscientists over the past 30 years has produced a powerful animal model for study ing the behavioral and biological mechanisms of learning. As a result, eyeblink conditioning is beginning to be pursued as a very promising model for predicting and understanding human learning and memory disor ders. Among the many advantages of this procedure are (a) the fact tha t ii can be carried out in the same manner in both humans and laborato ry animals; (b) the many ways in which it permits one to characterize changes in learning at the behavioral level; (c) the readiness with wh ich hypotheses regarding the neurological basis of behavioral disorder s can be formulated and tested; (di the fact that it can be used in th e same way across the life-span; and ie) its ability to distinguish, f rom normative groups, populations suffering from neurological conditio ns associated with impaired learning and memory, including those produ ced by exposure to neurotoxicants. in this article, we argue that thes e properties oi eyeblink conditioning make it an excellent model syste m for studying early impairments of learning and memory in development al neurotoxicology. We also review progress that has been made in our laboratory in developing a rodent model of infant eyeblink conditionin g for this purpose.