Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents
Published on: July 8, 2015
Lesions of the midline thalamic nuclei impair classical conditioning under partial but not continuous reinforcement
S L Buchanan1, D A Powell, F M Beylotte
1Neuroscience Laboratory (151A), VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC 29209-1639, USA. buchanan-shirley@sc.edu
Abstract:
Rabbits with lesions of the midline thalamic nuclei were compared to rabbits with sham lesions on classical eyeblink (EB) and heart rate (HR) conditioning. Separate groups of sham and lesioned animals received either 25, 50 or 100% reinforcement with a periorbital shock unconditioned stimulus. Animals with lesions showed slightly impaired EB conditioning, compared to sham animals, under the partial but not continuous reinforcement schedules. Midline lesions also reduced the magnitude of the decelerative HR conditioned response under partial but not continuous reinforcement conditions. These findings suggest that the midline thalamic nuclei, like the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus, process information required for response selection under non-optimal learning conditions.
Related Concept Videos
Associative Learning
Classical conditioning, also known...
Classical Conditioning
Ivan Pavlov observed that dogs salivated...
Principles of Classical Conditioning
During the...
Real-World Application of Classical Conditioning
Higher-order, or second-order, conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an already established conditioned stimulus through repeated pairings. For instance, if a dog has been...
Classical Conditioning in Daily Life
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...

