Acquisition of a Conditioned Fear Reaction to a Light Stimulus in Mice: Comparison with Learning in Response to a Sound Stimulus

Currently the model of associative memory in mammals most frequently used in neurobiological studies consists of acquisition of a conditioned reflex freezing reaction. As most studies address the mechanisms of learning in response to a sound stimulus, the question of the extent to which the patterns of forming associative memory are universal and apply to other conditioned stimuli remains open. The aim of the present work was to compare the dynamics of the formation and reproduction of a memory in mice on acquisition of a conditioned freezing reaction to light and sound conditioned stimuli. Training using a light stimulus was found to occur in this model significantly more slowly than using a sound signal. In addition, the dynamics of memory reproduction differed in animals trained using sound and light stimuli, being slower using light stimuli, which may reflect different consolidation or extraction processes for these types of memory. The results of this study are critically important for understanding the common and specific conditions for the formation of associative memory in this model.

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