Research Topics
| Robert J McDonaldSummaryAffiliation: University of Lethbridge Country: Canada Publications
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Detail Information
Publications
Expression of a conditioned place preference or spatial navigation task following muscimol-induced inactivations of the amygdala or dorsal hippocampus: A double dissociation in the retrograde directionRobert J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Brain Res Bull 83:29-37. 2010..Taken together, the results showed a functional dissociation between the, effects of amygdala or hippocampal dysfunction on the expression of these different classes of tasks...
Multiple memory systems: the power of interactionsRobert J McDonald
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
Neurobiol Learn Mem 82:333-46. 2004....- Incidental information acquired by the amygdala during acquisition of a stimulus-response habit taskRobert J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
Exp Brain Res 159:72-83. 2004..The nature of the association acquired in this learning paradigm, and the implications of this finding for theories dealing with the organization and functions of mammalian learning and memory are discussed... - The challenges of understanding mammalian cognition and memory-based behaviours: an interactive learning and memory systems approachRobert J McDonald
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, Alta, Canada AB T1K 3M4
Neurosci Biobehav Rev 28:719-45. 2004..Empirical and theoretical work directed at understanding the cognitive and non-cognitive processes associated with place learning in the water task and context conditioning during aversive events is also presented... - A double dissociation of dorsal and ventral hippocampal function on a learning and memory task mediated by the dorso-lateral striatumRobert J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Eur J Neurosci 24:1789-801. 2006..The formation of an incidental inhibitory association was dependent on ventral but not dorsal hippocampal circuitry, and the opposite dependence was found for the spatial component of a tactile/spatial discrimination... - The role of medial prefrontal cortex in context-specific inhibition during reversal learning of a visual discriminationR J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1K 3M4
Exp Brain Res 177:509-19. 2007..These and other results from a transfer test suggest that the medial prefrontal cortex participates in the behavioral effects of a context-specific inhibitory association acquired during visual discrimination learning... - Empirical tests of the functional significance of amygdala-based modulation of hippocampal representations: evidence for multiple memory consolidation pathwaysRobert J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Eur J Neurosci 25:1568-80. 2007..Arguments for an alternative view are presented suggesting that there are multiple memory consolidation pathways, one of which may depend on amygdala neural circuitry... - A complex associative structure formed in the mammalian brain during acquisition of a simple visual discrimination task: dorsolateral striatum, amygdala, and hippocampusRobert J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Hippocampus 17:759-74. 2007..Although this representation is not required for acquisition of the task in the anterograde direction, removal of this representation has a disruptive effect on expression of the task... - Neurotoxic damage to the dorsomedial striatum exaggerates the behavioral influence of a context-specific inhibitory association mediated by the ventral hippocampusRobert J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Behav Neurosci 122:27-35. 2008..A discussion of potential pathways and mechanisms for these different effects is presented... - Neurotoxic lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex or medial striatum impair multiple-location place learning in the water task: evidence for neural structures with complementary roles in behavioural flexibilityRobert J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Exp Brain Res 187:419-27. 2008..The results were interpreted as suggestive of a complementary role of these neural structures in behavioural flexibility... - The etiology of age-related dementia is more complicated than we thinkRobert J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Behav Brain Res 214:3-11. 2010..Various proof of principle experiments are presented and the mechanistic and treatment implications of this view are discussed... - A dissociation of dorso-lateral striatum and amygdala function on the same stimulus-response habit taskR J McDonald
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3
Neuroscience 124:507-13. 2004..This pattern of results represents a dissociation of learning and memory functions of the dorsal striatum and amygdala on the same task... - Enhanced cell death in hippocampus and emergence of cognitive impairments following a localized mini-stroke in hippocampus if preceded by a previous episode of acute stressRobert J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Eur J Neurosci 27:2197-209. 2008..This vulnerability might be due to the actions of stress hormones, like the glucocorticoids, that have been previously shown to endanger hippocampal neurons... - NMDA-receptor blockade by CPP impairs post-training consolidation of a rapidly acquired spatial representation in rat hippocampusRobert J McDonald
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Eur J Neurosci 22:1201-13. 2005..Our results therefore reinforce the notion that hippocampal NMDA-receptors participate in post-training memory consolidation but are not essential for the processes necessary to learn or retain navigational information in the short term... - Selective lesion of medial septal cholinergic neurons followed by a mini-stroke impairs spatial learning in ratsLaura A Craig
Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Exp Brain Res 193:29-42. 2009..This suggests an association between the cholinergic depletion observed during aging and the potential for functional recovery following stroke... - Cholinergic depletion of the medial septum followed by phase shifting does not impair memory or rest-activity rhythms measured under standard light/dark conditions in ratsLaura A Craig
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive West, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1K 3M4
Brain Res Bull 79:53-62. 2009.... - Reduced cholinergic status in hippocampus produces spatial memory deficits when combined with kainic acid induced seizuresLaura A Craig
Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Hippocampus 18:1112-21. 2008..This result could not be explained by seizure severity or the extent of hippocampal damage, suggesting a more subtle interaction between these two risk factors in the development of a hippocampal based memory impairment... - Chronic disruption of circadian rhythms impairs hippocampal memory in the ratLaura A Craig
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Brain Res Bull 76:141-51. 2008..We propose that chronic circadian disruption may play a role in the development of age-related cognitive deficits and dementia in the elderly... 
Making context memories independent of the hippocampusHugo Lehmann
Psychology Department, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Learn Mem 16:417-20. 2009..The latter provides a new account for patterns of hippocampal retrograde amnesia and how memories may become independent of the hippocampus...- Emergence of spatial impairment in rats following specific cholinergic depletion of the medial septum combined with chronic stressLaura A Craig
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Eur J Neurosci 27:2262-71. 2008..These findings support our theory that cholinergic depletion of the medial septum increases hippocampal vulnerability to further insults such as stress... - Post-training intra-amygdala amphetamine injections given during acquisition of a stimulus-response (S-R) habit task enhance the expression of stimulus-reward learning: further evidence for incidental amygdala learningMatthew R Holahan
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont, M5S 3G3, Canada
Brain Res Bull 66:222-8. 2005..This suggests that post-training amphetamine strengthened a stimulus-reward association that did not immediately affect behavioral output. This association may reflect a mnemonic representation stored in an ensemble of amygdala neurons... - Differential involvement of amygdala and hippocampus in responding to novel objects and contextsSandra N Moses
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ont, Toronto, Canada
Brain Res Bull 58:517-27. 2002..To the extent that we tap implicit and explicit knowledge using this paradigm, we suggest that in the rat, the amygdala and hippocampal systems are necessary for at least some types of explicit knowledge... - Blunted cortisol rhythm is associated with learning impairment in aged hamstersSean W Cain
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St George Street, Room 4020, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3
Physiol Behav 82:339-44. 2004..These data suggest that age-related cognitive decline may be related more to a loss of hormone rhythmicity than to a loss of behavioral rhythmicity or an increase in hormone level... - Prefrontal cortical contributions during discriminative fear conditioning, extinction, and spontaneous recovery in ratsErin L Zelinski
Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
Exp Brain Res 203:285-97. 2010..These results further implicate OPFC and I/P PFC in the pathology underlying generalized anxiety disorder... - Attenuation of context-specific inhibition on reversal learning of a stimulus-response task in rats with neurotoxic hippocampal damageRobert J McDonald
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St George Street, Ont, Canada M5S 3G3
Behav Brain Res 136:113-26. 2002..Taken together these results suggest that rats with hippocampal lesions do not acquire normal context-specific inhibition during discrimination learning... - Time stamp in conditioned place avoidance can be set to different circadian phasesSean W Cain
Centre for Biological Timing and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St George Street, Room 4020, Toronto, Ont, Canada M5S 3G3
Neurobiol Learn Mem 89:591-4. 2008..Such an ability may allow animals in nature to predict the recurrence of 24h events, regardless of the time of day the event was encountered... - The significance of circadian phase for performance on a reward-based learning task in hamstersMartin R Ralph
Department of Psychology and Zoology, University of Toronto, 100 St George Street, ON, Canada M5S 3G3
Behav Brain Res 136:179-84. 2002..Timing is not an explicit discriminative cue in these experiments. Hence, the learning mechanism must be predisposed to register circadian time as an attribute during context learning... - Enhanced cell death and learning deficits after a mini-stroke in aged hippocampusIra Driscoll
Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alta, Canada
Neurobiol Aging 29:1847-58. 2008..Overall, our pattern of results suggest that the aged hippocampus is more vulnerable to the same insult that has little or no effect on the young hippocampus... - Dorsal striatum and stimulus-response learning: lesions of the dorsolateral, but not dorsomedial, striatum impair acquisition of a stimulus-response-based instrumental discrimination task, while sparing conditioned place preference learningR E Featherstone
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3
Neuroscience 124:23-31. 2004..These results suggest that the dorsolateral striatum is necessary for the successful acquisition of tasks that place a demand upon stimulus-response learning, while the dorsomedial striatum is not involved in this type of learning... - Lesions of the dorsolateral striatum impair the acquisition of a simplified stimulus-response dependent conditional discrimination taskR E Featherstone
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3G3
Neuroscience 136:387-95. 2005..Animals with lesions of the dorsolateral striatum showed marked impairments in learning this task, a finding that is in agreement with the notion that the dorsolateral striatum is necessary for stimulus-response learning... - Learning-induced alterations in prefrontal cortical dendritic morphologyWendy L Comeau
Canadian Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, T1K 3M4, Canada
Behav Brain Res 214:91-101. 2010..In addition to demonstrating learning-specific modifications in dendritic connectivity within the PFC, the results illustrate varying patterns of change that likely reflect task-dependent requirements on the PFC... - Revisiting the cholinergic hypothesis in the development of Alzheimer's diseaseLaura A Craig
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Neurosci Biobehav Rev 35:1397-409. 2011..Finally we will discuss some of the implications for treatment that arise from this model and present directions for future study... - Lesions of the medial or lateral perforant path have different effects on hippocampal contributions to place learning and on fear conditioning to contextJ Ferbinteanu
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
Behav Brain Res 101:65-84. 1999..The context discrimination results can be explained by either a dissociation of sensory information that reaches the MEC and LEC, or alternatively, by a dissociation between the limbic nature of the MEC and the sensory nature of the LEC... - Dorsal/ventral hippocampus, fornix, and conditioned place preferenceJ Ferbinteanu
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hippocampus 11:187-200. 2001..To explain the complex pattern of results presently obtained, we propose a novel hypothesis regarding behavioral functions of HPC neural circuits. Implications regarding the interaction between memory systems are also considered... - A role for adult neurogenesis in spatial long-term memoryJ S Snyder
Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Room 3214, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
Neuroscience 130:843-52. 2005..These results suggest a new role for adult neurogenesis in the formation and/or consolidation of long-term, hippocampus-dependent, spatial memories... - Retrograde amnesia for fear-potentiated startle in rats after complete, but not partial, hippocampal damageH Lehmann
Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
Neuroscience 167:974-84. 2010..Thus, the hippocampus normally has a critical and long-lasting role enabling recall of fear conditioning to a discrete visual stimulus. In the absence of the hippocampus other memory systems support new learning... - Multiple parallel memory systems in the brain of the ratNorman M White
Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Neurobiol Learn Mem 77:125-84. 2002..These interactions can be cooperative (leading to similar behaviors) or competitive (leading to different behaviors). Experimental findings consistent with these ideas, mostly from experiments with rats, are reviewed... - Intact intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) representations of rostral and caudal forelimb areas in rats with quinolinic acid lesions of the medial or lateral caudate-putamen in an animal model of Huntington's diseaseJenni M Karl
Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
Brain Res Bull 77:42-8. 2008..Therefore, the impairments that follow striatal cell loss are due either to alterations in circuitry that is independent of motor cortex or to alterations in circuitry afferent to the motor cortex projections... - Neurotoxic lesions of the caudate-putamen on a reaching for food task in the rat: acute sensorimotor neglect and chronic qualitative motor impairment follow lateral lesions and improved success follows medial lesionsI Q Whishaw
Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1K 3M4
Neuroscience 146:86-97. 2007.... - Rats with hippocampal damage are impaired on place learning in the water task when overtrained under constrained conditionsR J McDonald
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hippocampus 10:153-61. 2000..Overall, the results of the present study do not support the idea that the hippocampus is not specifically involved in acquisition of place information in the water task... - Post-training CB1 cannabinoid receptor agonist activation disrupts long-term consolidation of spatial memories in the hippocampusT T Yim
Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1K 3M4
Neuroscience 151:929-36. 2008..Plausible pharmacological interactions between cannabinoids and other neurotransmitter systems and associated plasticity mechanisms are discussed... - Persistent impairments in hippocampal, dorsal striatal, and prefrontal cortical function following repeated photoperiod shifts in ratsErin L Zelinski
Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
Exp Brain Res 224:125-39. 2013.... - Amygdala, hippocampus and discriminative fear conditioning to contextE A Antoniadis
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ont, Canada
Behav Brain Res 108:1-19. 2000..The proposed view ascribes an equal role in fear conditioning to both the amygdala and the hippocampus... - Context-specific interference on reversal learning of a stimulus-response habitR J McDonald
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S-3G3
Behav Brain Res 121:149-65. 2001..Animals that were reversed in a different context showed a renewal effect to the initial S-R when brought back to the original training context... - Amygdala, hippocampus, and unconditioned fearE A Antoniadis
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St George St, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada
Exp Brain Res 138:200-9. 2001.... - Dorsal striatum and stimulus-response learning: lesions of the dorsolateral, but not dorsomedial, striatum impair acquisition of a simple discrimination taskR E Featherstone
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St George Street, Toronto, Canada M5S3G3
Behav Brain Res 150:15-23. 2004.... - Lesions of the dorsolateral or dorsomedial striatum impair performance of a previously acquired simple discrimination taskR E Featherstone
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Neurobiol Learn Mem 84:159-67. 2005..Possible explanations for the differences between the role of the dorsomedial striatum in acquisition and expression of the simple discrimination task are proposed... - Aging effects on spatial tuning of hippocampal place cells in miceJun Yan
Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, 600 University Avenue, ON M5G 1X5, Toronto, Canada
Exp Brain Res 150:184-93. 2003..Furthermore, we speculate that the age-related impairment in hippocampal inhibition system may be involved in the impaired spatial representation of hippocampal CA1 place cells in old mice... - Discriminative fear conditioning to context expressed by multiple measures of fear in the ratE A Antoniadis
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Behav Brain Res 101:1-13. 1999..In general these findings also suggest that there are different learning parameters for the measures of fear examined in this paradigm... - Circadian rhythms, aging and memoryE A Antoniadis
Departments of Psychology and Zoology, University of Toronto, 100 St George Street, Ont, M5S 3G3, Toronto, Canada
Behav Brain Res 114:221-33. 2000..The degree of preference was also correlated with activity amplitude. These results support the notion that age-related rhythm fragmentation contributes to the age-related memory decline... - Finding a goal on dry land and in the water: differential effects of disorientation on spatial learningB M Gibson
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3
Behav Brain Res 123:103-11. 2001..The results constrain theoretical explanations for the differential effects of disorientation on different spatial tasks... - Role of epigenetic effectors in maintenance of the long-term persistent bystander effect in spleen in vivoIgor Koturbash
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4, Canada
Carcinogenesis 28:1831-8. 2007.... - Circadian rhythms, aging and memoryE A Antoniadis
Departments of Psychology and Zoology, University of Toronto, 100 St George Street, Ont, M5S 3G3, Toronto, Canada
Behav Brain Res 111:25-37. 2000..The degree of preference was also correlated with activity amplitude. These results support the notion that age-related rhythm fragmentation contributes to the age-related memory decline... - Fornix, medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and mediodorsal thalamic nucleus: roles in a fear-based context discrimination taskElena A Antoniadis
California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Neurobiol Learn Mem 85:71-85. 2006.... - Impairment in long-term retention but not short-term performance on a water maze reversal task following hippocampal or mediodorsal striatal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blockadeMatthew R Holahan
Mount Sinai Hospital and University of Toronto, ON, Canada
Behav Neurosci 119:1563-71. 2005..Therefore, blocking dorsal hippocampal or mediodorsal striatal NMDA receptors selectively blocked long-term spatial retention without producing short-term performance deficits... - Defective place cell activity in nociceptin receptor knockout mice with elevated NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiationFranco A Taverna
Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X5
J Physiol 565:579-91. 2005..The data have important clinical implications on development of strategies to improve cognitive function... - Partial reinforcement across trials impairs escape performance but spares place learning in the water mazeBryan D Devan
Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Mail Stop 2A1, Fairfax, VA 22030 4444, USA
Behav Brain Res 141:91-104. 2003..We conclude that across-trial partial reinforcement procedures may promote response competition and mask evidence of place learning in addition to weakening escape performance late in training... - Place-cell impairment in glutamate receptor 2 mutant miceJun Yan
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 4NI Canada
J Neurosci 22:RC204. 2002..Our data suggest that place cells of GluR2 knock-out mice did not form robust place fields, and that enhanced non-Hebbian LTP might play a negative role in their formation... - Both dorsal and ventral hippocampus contribute to spatial learning in Long-Evans ratsJanina Ferbinteanu
Department of Neurobiology, Mt Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Neurosci Lett 345:131-5. 2003..The acquisition deficit diminishes with training in both lesion groups. The data thus suggest that the entire HPC axis is involved in acquisition of spatial information... - Multiple combinations of co-factors produce variants of age-related cognitive decline: a theoryRobert J McDonald
University of Toronto
Can J Exp Psychol 56:221-39. 2002..The co-factors in the present model include genes, neurotransmitter changes, vascular abnormalities, stress hormones, circadian rhythms, head trauma, and seizures...