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J M Pearce

Publications and source records attributed to J M Pearce.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Hippocampal lesions disrupt navigation based on cognitive maps but not heading vectors.

Animals can find a hidden goal in several ways. They might use a cognitive map that encodes information about the geometric relationship between the goal and two or more landmarks. Alternatively, they might use a heading vector that specifies the direction and distance of the goal from a single landmark. Rats with damage to the hippocampus have difficulty in finding a hidden goal. Here we determine which of the above strategies is affected by such damage. Rats were required to swim in a water maze to a submerged platform, which was always at the same distance and direction from a landmark. The platform and landmark remained in the same place for the four trials of each session, but they were moved to a new position at the start of a session. Rats with damage to the hippocampus found the platform more efficiently than did normal rats in the first trial of a session but, in contrast to normal rats, their performance did not improve during a session. Our results indicate that hippocampally damaged rats are able to navigate by means of heading vectors but not cognitive maps.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Lithium visibility in rat brain and muscle in vivo by 7Li NMR imaging.

The apparent concentration of lithium (Li) in vivo was determined for several regions in the brain and muscle of rats by 7Li NMR imaging at 4.7 T with inclusion of an external standard of known concentration and visibility. The average apparent concentrations were 10.1 mM for muscle, and 4.2-5.3 mM for various brain regions under the dosing conditions used. The results were compared to concentrations determined in vitro by high-resolution 7Li NMR spectroscopy of extracts of brain and muscle tissue from the same rats. The comparison provided estimates of the 7Li NMR visibility of the Li cation in each tissue region. Although there was considerable scatter of the calculated visibilities among the five rats studied, the results suggested essentially full visibility (96%) for Li in muscle, and somewhat reduced visibility (74-93%) in the various brain regions.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

The distribution of lithium in rat brain and muscle in vivo by 7Li NMR imaging.

The regional distribution of lithium (Li) in vivo was determined on a relative basis in the brain and muscle of rats by 7Li NMR imaging. Both high resolution 7Li NMR spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectrophotometry were performed on extracts of brain and muscle tissue from the same rats. The average in vivo results were generally in good agreement with the corresponding average in vitro results, despite the relatively low signal-to-noise ratio of the in vivo images. There was good agreement between the two in vitro methods of analysis, both on average and for individual animals. Significant differences were found in vivo among Li concentration ratios for the various brain regions and muscle by 7Li imaging, as well as by the in vitro methods.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Interaction between piloting and beacon homing by rats in a swimming pool.

In three experiments, rats in a swimming pool were trained to find a submerged platform with a beacon attached to it. For some rats this beacon unambiguously identified the location of the platform; for others the beacon was made ambiguous by placement of an identical beacon in a different part of the pool. Test trials, in the absence of the platform and the beacons, revealed more persistent searching near the original location of the platform if the beacon attached to the platform had been ambiguous. These results show that learning about the location of the platform, with regard to cues that lie beyond the pool, is influenced by the extent to which an animal can find the platform by relying on other cues. The final experiment shows that this interaction between cues is influenced by an animal's prior experience.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Partial reinforcement in appetitive Pavlovian conditioning with rats.

Four experiments examined the effects of a partial reinforcement schedule on extinction using appetitive Pavlovian conditioning. Extinction was slower after partial than after continuous reinforcement when the schedules were administered to different groups (Experiment 1). The opposite result was found in Experiments 2 and 3 when both schedules were presented to the same group in the same context. When the schedules were presented to the same group in different contexts, then extinction was again slower after partial reinforcement (Experiment 3). Experiment 4 demonstrated that a change of context facilitates extinction to a greater extent after conditioning with a partial reinforcement schedule than with a continuous one. The results are explained by assuming that the nonreinforced trials of a partial reinforcement schedule create an internal state that serves as a contextual cue.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1997

Sudden death due to disseminated cryptococcosis in a child with leukemia in remission.

Cryptococcus neoformans typically causes an insidious illness with symptoms related to meningitis or to lung involvement. This is the first reported sudden death due to cryptococcosis, which occurred in a child with leukemia that was in remission. The child had suddenly looked seriously ill and cried with abdominal pain and then died within 25 minutes. Disseminated cryptococcal infection of the lungs, heart, and pancreas was an unexpected finding at autopsy. This clinical experience raises the question whether fungal infections should now be considered in immunosuppressed patients who have an apparent septic collapse.

Abdominal Pain↗