Techniques and Basic Experiments for the Study of Brain and Behavior

Techniques and Basic Experiments for the Study of Brain and Behavior emphasizes the practical aspects of conducting behavioral experiments, illustrates the various fundamental methods with characteristic examples, and provides a thorough description of the techniques. This text aims to teach the basic skills of behavioral research by providing a wide range of reproducible experiments. Most of the experiments can be completed within a few hours, which makes them suitable for classroom demonstrations and laboratory courses for students. Although this book is organized into systematically arranged sections, the reader can commence with any of the experiments without studying the preceding chapters. A general knowledge of physiological psychology, along the lines outlined in Chapter 1, however, is indispensable. This book is intended for students and scientists (physiologists, psychologists, pharmacologists, biologists, and biophysicists) interested in physiological psychology.

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 Physiological Psychology Research

1.1. Basic concepts

1.2. Planning of experiments

1.3. Animal care

1.4. Morphological techniques

1.4.1. Perfusion

1.4.2. Removal of brain

1.4.3. Blocking of brain

1.4.4. Sectioning

1.4.5. Preparation of gelatinized slides

1.4.6. Mounting

1.4.7. Photographing the unstained sections

1.4.8. Staining

1.5. Electronic apparatus

1.5.1. Electrical stimulation

1.5.2. Recording technique

1.5.3. Programming with TTL logic

Chapter 2 Innate and Motivated Behavior

2.1. Neurological tests in rats

2.2. Behavioral patterns

2.3. Measurement of activity

2.3.1. General activity

2.3.2. Enforced locomotor activity

2.4. Depth avoidance

2.5. Open field

2.6. Electrocutaneous shock

2.7. Aggression

2.7.1. Pain-induced aggression

2.7.2. Operant aggression

2.7.3. Extinction- and schedule-induced aggression

2.8. Feeding and drinking

2.8.1. Schedule-induced polydipsia

2.9. Sexual behavior

2.9.1. Ovariectomy and castration

2.10. Filial behavior

2.10.1. Imprinting in chicks

2.11. Measuring drive (reinforcement) intensity

2.11.1. The obstruction box

Chapter 3 Learning and Memory

3.1. Classical conditioning

3.1.1. Autonomie responses

3.1.2. Somatic responses

3.2. Avoidance conditioning

3.2.1. Passive avoidance

3.2.2. Conditioned taste aversion

3.2.3. Active avoidance

3.3. Operant conditioning

3.3.1. Skinner box techniques

3.3.2. Discrete skilled movements

3.4. Discrimination learning

3.4.1. Spatial discrimination

3.4.2. Simultaneous or successive brightness discrimination

3.4.3. Pattern discrimination

3.4.4. Temporal discrimination

3.5. Memory

3.5.1. Reversive postoptokinetic nystagmus

Chapter 4 Ablation and Stimulation of the Brain

4.1. Brain lesions

4.1.1. Stereotaxic technique

4.1.2. Electrolytic and thermocoagulation lesions

4.1.3. Transection lesions

4.1.4. Neurochemical lesions

4.1.5. Aspiration lesions

4.1.6. Spreading depression

4.2. Electrical brain stimulation

4.2.1. General methods

4.2.2. Self-stimulation

4.2.3. Stimulation-induced consummatory behaviors

4.2.4. Post-stimulation feeding

4.3. Chemically elicited consummatory behavior

4.3.1. Eating induced by norepinephrine

4.3.2. Eating induced by insulin and 2-deoxy-d-glucose

Chapter 5 Electrophysiological Correlates of Behavior

5.1. Spontaneous EEG

5.2. Focal epileptic activity

5.3. Evoked responses

5.4. Unit activity

Chapter 6 Pathological States

6.1. Audiogenic seizures

6.2. Electroconvulsive shock

6.3. Aninal hypnosis

6.4. Pathological turning

6.4.1. Measuring turning behavior

Subject Index