Key result
Older rats show slower and smaller HR conditioned responses to Pavlovian conditioning versus younger rats.
Older Fischer 344 rats show age-related deficits in associative learning as evidenced by slower and smaller classically conditioned heart rate responses.
Male and female Fischer 344 rats, 12 or 26-28 months of age, received two sessions of Pavlovian heart rate conditioning, and were compared with same-sex and same-age controls receiving unpaired presentations of the tone conditional stimulus (CS) and the shock unconditional stimulus (US). Older rats of both sexes demonstrated slower acquisition of the heart rate (HR) conditioned response (CR), and smaller magnitude changes than did the younger animals. Control experiments in 6-, 12-, 24-, and 30-month-old animals indicated that these differences were not due to an impaired sensitivity to the CS or US in the older animals. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for use of this animal model in investigations of age-related deficits in associative learning.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Buchanan et al. (1988) studied this question. Pavlovian heart rate conditioning vs. unpaired presentations of the tone conditional stimulus (CS) and the shock unconditional stimulus (US) was evaluated on Acquisition of the heart rate (HR) conditioned response (CR) and magnitude changes. Older rats demonstrated slower acquisition of the heart rate conditioned response and smaller magnitude changes than younger animals following Pavlovian conditioning.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: