Extinction of cognitive associations is preserved in patients with cerebellar disease.

Extinction of cognitive associations is preserved in patients with cerebellar disease. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2020 Feb 13;:107185 Authors: Steiner KM, Jansen S, Adeishvili N, Hulst T, Ernst TM, Müller O, Wondzinski E, Göricke SL, Siebler M, Uengoer M, Timmann D Abstract In the present study extinction and renewal of cognitive associations were assessed in two experiments in participants with focal and degenerative cerebellar disease. Using a predictive learning task, participants had to learn by trial and error the relationships between food items and the occurrence of stomach trouble in a hypothetical patient. In the first experiment, focus was on renewal effects. Participants with chronic cerebellar stroke (n = 14; mean age 50.9 ± 12 years), participants with degenerative cerebellar disease (n = 16; mean age 58 ± 12 years), age-, sex-, and education matched controls (n = 20; mean age 53.7 ± 10.8 years) and young controls (n = 19; mean age 23.2 ± 2.7 years) were tested. Acquisition and extinction of food-stomach trouble associations took part in two different contexts (represented by restaurants). In a subsequent test phase, food stimuli were presented in both contexts and no feedback was given. This allowed testing for renewal of the initially acquired associations in the acquisition context. Acquisition and extinction learning were not significantly different between groups. Significant renewal effects were present in young co...
Source: Neurobiology of Learning and Memory - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Neurobiol Learn Mem Source Type: research