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Updated: Jun 18, 2026
10:14
Whisker-signaled Eyeblink Classical Conditioning in Head-fixed Mice
Published on: March 30, 2016
Conditioned eyelid movement is not a blink.
Alice Schade Powers1, Pamela Coburn-Litvak, Craig Evinger
1Department of Psychology, St. John's University, Jamaica.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|November 27, 2009
Summary
Conditioned responses (CRs) in eyelid conditioning are a distinct class of movement, separate from reflex blinks. Kinematic analysis revealed unique properties differentiating CRs from blinks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Physiology
Background:
- Eyelid movements are categorized based on kinematic properties and distinct substrates.
- Previous research has not definitively established if conditioned eyelid responses form a unique category distinct from blinks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether conditioned responses (CRs) in classical eyelid conditioning constitute a distinct category of eyelid movements.
- To compare the kinematic properties of CRs with those of reflex blinks.
Main Methods:
- Classical eyelid conditioning was performed on human subjects using a tone as the conditioned stimulus (CS) and electrical trigeminal nerve stimulation as the unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
- Kinematic analysis was used to compare CRs with UCS-elicited reflex blinks before and after training.
Main Results:
- The amplitude-maximum velocity function slope was steeper for reflex blinks than for CRs.
- Reflex blinks were significantly shorter in duration than CRs.
- Maximum velocity of CRs depended on their duration, unlike reflex blinks where it was independent.
Conclusions:
- Quantitative and qualitative kinematic differences confirm CRs are a unique class of eyelid movements.
- Conditioned responses are distinct from reflex blinks and vertical saccadic gaze shifts.
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