Avoidance Response in Goldfish: Emotional and Temporal Involvement of Medial and Lateral Telencephalic Pallium

The hippocampus and the amygdala are involved in avoidance learning in mammals. The medial and lateral pallia of actinopterygian fish have been proposed as homologous to the mammalian pallial amygdala and hippocampus, respectively, on the basis of neuroanatomical findings. This work was aimed at studying the effects of ablation of the medial telencephalic pallia (MP) and lateral telencephalic pallia (LP) in goldfish on the retention of a conditioned avoidance response previously acquired in two experimental conditions. In the first experiment, fish were trained in nontrace avoidance conditioning. In the second experiment, fish were trained in trace avoidance conditioning in which temporal cues were crucial for the learning process. An MP lesion affected the retention of the avoidance response in both procedures; in contrast, an LP lesion impaired the retention only in the trace-conditioning procedure. These data support the presence of two different systems of memory in fish, based on discrete telencephalic areas: the MP, involved in an emotional memory system; and the LP, involved in a spatial, relational, or temporal memory system. Moreover, these differential effects were similar to those produced by amygdalar and hippocampal lesions in mammals. We conclude that these specialized systems of memory could have appeared early during phylogenesis and could have been conserved throughout vertebrate evolution.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología BF-I2001-3178Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología I2000-0315Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología I2003-0029Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología PB-96-1334Junta de Andalucía CVI-24

Amygdala and emotional learning in vertebrates: A comparative perspective

Gobierno de España SI2009-12761Gobierno de España RyC2006/128

Animal models of maladaptive traits: disorders in sensorimotor gating and attentional quantifiable responses as possible endophenotypes

Traditional diagnostic scales are based on a number of symptoms to evaluate and classify mental diseases. In many cases, this process becomes subjective, since the patient must calibrate the magnitude of his/her symptoms and therefore the severity of his/her disorder. A completely different approach is based on the study of the more vulnerable traits of cognitive disorders. In this regard, animal models of mental illness could be a useful tool to characterize indicators of possible cognitive dysfunctions in humans. Specifically, several cognitive disorders such as schizophrenia involve a dysfunction in the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic system during development. These variations in dopamine levels or dopamine receptor sensibility correlate with many behavioral disturbances. These behaviors may be included in a specific phenotype and may be analyzed under controlled conditions in the laboratory. The present study provides an introductory overview of different quantitative traits that could be used as a possible risk indicator for different mental disorders, helping to define a specific endophenotype. Specifically, we examine different experimental procedures to measure impaired response in attention linked to sensorimotor gating as a possible personality trait involved in maladaptive behaviors.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad PSI2012- 3244

Localización neuroeléctrica de procesos cognitivos

Recording techniques of electrical cerebral activity with surface electrodes are shown and supported as a valid choice of a physiological study of the cognitive function of the human brain. Likewise, we describe the techniques of topographical representation of neuroelectrical potentials, as well as the current source density analysis and the localization of cerebral generators by evoked potentials. We conclude that it is possible to determine the localization of active cortical zones during perception, motor and cognitive processes, starting from a limited number of physiological hypotheses, in relation to the electrical behaviour of the cortical neurons and according to an electrical model of the head.Se presentan y defienden las técnicas de registro de la actividad eléctrica cerebral con electrodos de superficie como una alternativa válida para el estudio fisiológico de la función cognitiva del cerebro humano. Asimismo, se describen las técnicas de representación topográfica de potencial neuroeléctrico, así como las de análisis de densidad de corriente y de localización de generadores cerebrales de potenciales evocados. Se concluye que es posible determinar la localización de zonas corticales activas durante procesos de percepción, motores y cognitivos, partiendo de un número limitado de hipótesis fisiológicas, en relación al comportamiento eléctrico de las neuronas corticales y según un modelo eléctrico de la cabeza.DGICYT TM90-15

Innovación de las estrategias de enseñanza en Psicología Fisiológica. Diseño de prácticas experimentales.

Se describe la innovación docente introducida por los profesores del equipo docente de PSicología Fisiológica para mejorar la calidad de las clases prácticas. Se han diseñado prácticas que se constituyen como un instrumento de interrelación e integración de los temas de las Unidades Didácticas en las que se organiza el programa de la asignatura. Se han perfeccionado los materiales didácticos para optimizar el proceso de aprendizaje y aumentar la motivación. Se describe una práctica modelo sobre dimorfismo sexual en el sistema nervioso

Innovación didáctica en la asignatura de Psicología Fisiológica: autoestudio y autoevaluación

En este trabajo se presenta el desarrollo del análisis de los puntos débiles y fuertes de un plan de Innovación docente puesto en marcha desde 1995. Se proponen puntos de mejora y acctuaciones