An analog technique for recording leg position learning in the cockroach

Past studies of shock avoidance learning in the cockroach have used an all-or-none method of recording leg position. Leg position was recorded indirectly in terms of the number of shocks the leg initiated. The measure of learning was the decrease in the number of times the leg initiated shock. An analog procedure is described that allows the pattern of leg behavior change to be assessed directly. Thus, the time course and relative magnitude of leg flexions and extensions prior to, during, and following shock can be studied. It will be possible to record peripheral motor nerve activity simultaneously with the behavior and to examine the excitatory and inhibitory interactions of individual neurons that may be involved in such learning.