1 / 23

Project in Neuroscience and Psychology: Learning and Memory

Explore how rats' startle responses are impacted by odors, linking to memory and fear hypotheses. Discover the results of odor preference, discrimination training, and startle response tests. Analyze implications for neuroscience and psychology.

lcecilia
Download Presentation

Project in Neuroscience and Psychology: Learning and Memory

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Project in Neuroscience and Psychology: Learning and Memory Team Members: Gillian Bradley, Yuchen Feng, Mary Labowsky, Mike Magaraci, Mason McGill, Ronak Mistry, Rupal Parikh, Purvee Patel, Travis Perlee, Becca Rosen, Doug Wagner, Jasmine Zhuang Advisor: Dr. Graham Cousens TA: Jen Sissman

  2. Introduction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqGsT6VM8Vg

  3. Startle Response • What is it? • Experimental manipulations. • Odor associated with aversive stimulus  increased acoustic startle? • Odor associated with appetitive stimulus  decreased acoustic startle?

  4. The Rat Brain, Olfactory Memory, Odor-Induced Fear

  5. Hypothesis • Rats identify amyl acetate as reward  startle response attenuated. • Rats associate cineole with punishment  startle response potentiated or baseline.

  6. Methods and Results

  7. The Subjects

  8. Nose-poke Shaping • What is shaping? • To prepare rats for later odor discrimination training. • Sucrose as incentive to nose-poke.

  9. Odor Preference • Amyl acetate or cineole? • Before and after startle response test. • Did rats change their preference after association with loud sound?

  10. Odor Preference Ratio of Time Spent in Two Arms (Amyl Acetate / Cineole) Subject

  11. Odor Discrimination Training • Reward and punishment associated with amyl acetate and cineole, respectively.

  12. Odor Discrimination

  13. Startle Response Test • Sound pulses with three conditions: no odor, amyl acetate, cineole. • No odor  baseline startle response? • Amyl acetate  startle response attenuation? • Cineole  startle response potentiation or baseline?

  14. Startle Response 1 Voltage output of A14 while in Startle Chamber Voltage Output Time (milliseconds)

  15. Startle Response 2

  16. Discussion

  17. Conclusion • Eight of twelve rats were able to discriminate odors. • Startle response successfully measured. • Odors failed to modulate startle response. • Positive odor failed to elicit attenuation. • Negative odor failed to elicit potentiation. • Why?

  18. Variables Compared to Previous Research • Schneider & Spanagel (2008) • Proved that a appetitive mentality does attenuate startle. • Different results due to different training • Odors might not have been emotionally charged from our conditioning procedure.

  19. Sources of Error • Inherent preferences for specific odors • Habituation • Relatively small number of subjects

  20. Applications of Project • More detailed understanding of the brain • Better understanding of behavioral and mental disorders • Emotion analysis

  21. The Dorr Foundation The Edward W. and Stella C. Van Houten Memorial Fund The Jennifer A. Chalsty Foundation The Jewish Communal Fund Laura and John Overdeck NJGSS Alumnae and Parents (1984-2008) Novartis Schering-Plough Foundation Dr. Graham Cousens Dr. David Miyamoto Dr. Paul Quinn Dr. Steve Surace Myrna Papier Jen Sissman And everyone who has helped make this experience possible. Thank You!

  22. Our Team

  23. Questions?

More Related