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L J Stettner

Publications and source records attributed to L J Stettner.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Puromycin: two distinct behavioral effects with different temporal parameters in the pigeon.

Pigeons were injected intracerebrally with either puromycin (PM) or control saline solution following training for one 12-min session on a visual discrimination. Injections were made either immediately following training, 1 hr later or 24 hr later. Retention testing 3 days after training showed that PM produced marked amnesia in the first two groups, but had no effect in the 24 hr condition. However, all PM groups were retarded subsequently in the number of days required to reach a 90% discimination criterion. This differentiation of two separate behavioral effects with different temporal gradients suggests that PM may be working through two distinct physiological mechanisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Effect of antibiotics on retention of visual discrimination training and on protein synthesis in the pigeon.

Forty-three pigeons were trained for one day on a visual discrimination (horizontal vs. vertical stripes) and then immediately injected with either puromycin (PM), cycloheximide (CXM), control saline, or combined PM and CXM solution. PM produced a marked amnesic effect, CXM a weaker effect. PM injected animals (but not CXM's) also took significantly more than 1 day longer than controls to reach criterion levels, indicating an effect on continued acquisition of the discrimination beyond the amnesia for Day 1. Combination with CXM did not attenuate the PM effects. Protein inhibition profiles showed maximum PM activity of 90% inhibition, whereas CXM's maximum was 98% and was distributed more widely throughout different brain regions. In a second experiment, PM (N = 8), CXM (N = 8) or saline (N = 8) were again injected immediately after training, but the S+ was reversed on all postinjection training trials. In this case, PM animals were superior in percentage of S+ pecks on Day 2 to controls and CXM's. Further, the continued acquisition deficit was absent in the PM group, indicating that this effect is highly specific to those behavioral circuits active at the time of injection.

Animals↗
PubMed1967

Brain lesions in birds: effects on discrimination acquisition and reversal.

Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) with lesions of the cortex and the dorsal portion of the hyperstriatum (or " wulst") showed a considerable deficit in ability to reverse a learned discrimination between horizontal and vertical stripes. Two birds that had been run on 25 such reversals before ablation showed the same result. Lesioned birds did not, however, differ from controls in the Original acquisition of the discrimination. Analysis of performance indicated that the reversal deficit was not due to difficulties in discrimination, interference with motor ability, or lack of motivation. The deficit appeared to be based on perseveration of response to the previous positive stimulus during reversal training.

Animals↗