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The Journal of Neuroscience, March 15, 2003, 23(6):2459
Behavioral Transitions Modulate Hippocampal Electroencephalogram
Correlates of Open Field Behavior in the Rat: Support for a
Sensorimotor Function of Hippocampal Rhythmical Synchronous
Activity
H.
van Lier1,
A. M. L.
Coenen1, and
W. H. I. M.
Drinkenburg2
1 Nijmegen Institute for Cognition and
Information, Department of Biological Psychology, University of
Nijmegen, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and 2 Johnson
& Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, a Division of
Janssen Pharmaceutica, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
 |
ABSTRACT |
A clear relationship exists between moment-to-moment behavioral
elements and hippocampal rhythmical synchronous activity (RSA) (theta
rhythm). However, behavioral elements are not isolated events but are
part of behavioral sequences in a context of behavioral activity. By
concurrently monitoring open field behavior and hippocampal EEG, EEG
correlates of open field behavior in relation to preceding and
following behavior were studied in Sprague Dawley rats to determine whether the behavioral context influences EEG correlates of
behavior. Results show that preceding and subsequent behavioral patterns influenced the spectral power correlates of behavior. RSA
power was increased when a "type 1 behavior" (voluntary movement) preceded the behavior compared with when a "type 2 behavior"
(automatic movement, awake immobility) preceded it. The modulating
effect of behavioral transitions was shown for several types of
behaviors, and systematic modulation of hippocampal EEG correlates of
behavior was demonstrated. The present report shows that the strong and systematic relationship between hippocampal RSA and behavior is modulated by the behavioral-sequential context. Thus, in addition to
the well established relationship between RSA and motor activity, a
second nonmotor process seems to contribute to hippocampal RSA. A
likely candidate is a sensory process, which is in accordance with
theories on the sensorimotor function of hippocampal RSA.
Key words:
EEG; behavior; open field; sequential analysis; transitions; rats; hippocampal RSA; sensorimotor integration
 |
Introduction |
Hippocampal rhythmical synchronous
activity (RSA) [theta rhythm (6-10 Hz)] has been described
previously by Jung and Kornmüller (1939)
. In the search of its
behavioral correlates, RSA has been related to psychological concepts
such as memory and learning (Elazar and Adey, 1967
; Buzsáki,
1989
), arousal and attention (Green and Arduini, 1954
; Kemp and Kaada,
1975
), the orienting response (Grastyán et al., 1959
), "type
I" motor movement (Vanderwolf, 1969
; Coenen, 1975
), and sensory
(-motor) activity (Komisaruk, 1970
; Sainsbury, 1998
). On the basis of
movement correlates with theta activity, behavior can be divided into
"type 1 behavior" (or "voluntary movement") and "type 2 behavior" ("automatic movement" and awake immobility)
(Vanderwolf, 1969
, 1992
; Coenen, 1975
). Type 1 behavior is correlated
with theta and includes behavior such as walking, running, rearing,
swimming, and changes in body posture; type 2 behavior is accompanied
by large amplitude irregular activity and includes behavior such
as body grooming, face washing, and awake immobility. For type 1 behavior, more vigorous movements are accompanied by higher-amplitude
RSA (Whishaw and Vanderwolf, 1973
). Active exploratory sniffing is also
highly correlated with theta activity (Komisaruk, 1970
; Forbes and
Macrides, 1984
; Chang, 1992
). Different types of sniffing (sniffing air
or sniffing an object) show differences in their
electroencephalographic (EEG) power spectra (Coenen, 1975
), indicating
that sniffing includes a group of behaviors that are not homogenous
with respect to amount of theta activity.
So far, the moment-to-moment relationship between behavior and EEG
seems clear. However, behavioral elements are not isolated events but
are part of behavioral sequences in a context of behavioral activity.
Previous experiments (Van Lier et al., 2003
) showed that a context of
low or high exploratory activity could modulate hippocampal EEG
correlates of behavior. The data suggested that, in addition to main
motor components, sensory components contribute to hippocampal EEG
correlates of exploratory behavior. To further investigate the
relationship between behavior and the hippocampal EEG in its behavioral
context, the question was addressed whether behavior such as sniffing
is the same in terms of its physiological correlate in association with
voluntary movements compared with automatic movements. In an open
field, bouts of exploratory activity alternate with bouts of inactivity
and grooming behaviors. In this environment, epochs of behavioral
elements in association with either type 1 or 2 behavior can be
collected when behavior is continuously scored. By concurrently
monitoring open field behavior and EEG, RSA correlates of open field
behavior in relation to preceding and following behavior were studied
to determine whether the behavioral context influences RSA correlates
of behavior. It was studied whether the RSA correlate of a behavioral
element differs contingent on its association with either type 1 or
type 2 behavior. Behavioral elements included sniffing behaviors, as well as type 1 and type 2 behaviors.
 |
Materials and Methods |
Animals. Thirteen male Sprague
Dawley rats were obtained from Harlan (Bicester,
UK). The animals were housed individually in macrolon cages with
access to water and food ad libitum and maintained on a
reversed 12 hr light/dark cycle, with lights on at 7:00 P.M. The
animals were handled once per day for 5 min starting 1 week before
testing. Experiments were performed at Organon (Newhouse, UK). Permission for all procedures was granted from the United Kingdom
Home Office (Animals Scientific Procedures Act of 1986).
Surgical procedure. Surgery was performed under isoflurane
anesthesia. The rat was placed in a stereotactic apparatus (David Kopf
Instruments, Tujunga, CA) with bregma and lambda in the same horizontal
plane. Local analgesic [xylocaine spray (Lidocaine)] was applied to
the exposed tissue of the head. Animals were injected preoperatively
with an antibiotic [Amfipen, 0.3 ml, s.c. (anhydrous ampicillin, 100 mg/ml)] and postoperatively with an analgesic [Carprofen, 1 ml/kg, s.c. (Rimadyl, nonopioid analgesic, 1:10)]. Rats were
instrumented with bipolar recording electrode sets bilaterally in three
cortical areas and the dorsal hippocampus (only hippocampal data used
in this article). The two wires of the bipolar electrode sets were
separated 1 mm vertically for hippocampal electrodes. The coordinates
were as follows (in mm):
4.0 anteroposterior; ±2.0 lateral
relative to bregma; and
3/
2 (depth from skull) (Paxinos and Watson,
1986
). A screw was used as ground electrode. Electrodes [stainless
steel wire; diameter, 0.004 mm (California Fine Wire, Grover Beach,
CA)] connected to a pin (031-9540-000; ITT Cannon) with a small insert
(track pins; 04.11.T1559; Display Elektronica, Amsterdam, The
Netherlands) [typical resistance, 7.5 ± 0.1 (mean ± SE) k
] were inserted and fixated with superglue (Cyanolit)
and dental cement. All electrode pins were fitted into an 18-hole
connector (CTA3-IS-53; ITT Cannon). The electrodes and connector were
embedded in dental cement, and the tissue was sutured.
Behavioral testing. Rats recovered for at least 2 weeks
after surgery, before behavioral testing, at the age of 16-22 weeks. Animals were habituated to experimental conditions by connecting them
to a dummy cable and swivel in their home cage the night before the
experiment. Recording took place individually in an enriched open
field, which was cleaned with ethanol (70%) between sessions to
prevent rats using olfactory cues left by previously tested rats.
Observations lasted 25 min per animal and were performed under dimmed
red light conditions between the second and the fifth hour of the dark
period to minimize circadian influences.
Open field. The open field (black plastic, 1 × 1 × 0.4 m) had one side made of clear acrylic glass to allow camera
side view. The open field was supplied with a fixed amount of food,
access to the spout of a drinking bottle, and enriched with an object that could not be displaced by the animal (pyramidal shaped, glass object, 6 × 6 × 11.5 cm).
Behavioral scoring. Behavior was recorded simultaneously on
two cameras placed at side and top view of the animal, and behavior was
scored off-line using the Observer Video-Pro (Noldus Information Technology, Wageningen, The Netherlands) with a time
resolution of 0.04 sec. A detailed analysis of behavior included 21 behavioral elements (Van Lier et al., 2003
), based on the work of
Timmermans (1978)
and Vossen (1966)
and our own observations. Each
behavioral element was placed into one of the following categories:
type 1 behavior, type 2 behavior (Coenen, 1975
; Vanderwolf and
Robinson, 1981
), or sniffing behavior. Type 1 behavior included
walking, running, hopping, exploratory walking, climbing, rearing,
rearing supported, rearing object, and manipulating food. Type 2 behavior included eating, drinking, face washing, body grooming,
genital grooming, scratching, and sitting. Sniffing behavior included sniffing object, sniffing up, sniffing down, sniffing wall, and sniffing food. To enable quantification of the intensity of motor movements during sniffing behavior, intensity scores were calculated on
the basis of the distance (in centimeters) moved by the head and the
paws of the animal for each 0.5 sec epoch.
Analysis of behavioral data. Using the Observer, a lag
sequential analysis was obtained. Number of transitions between
behaviors was calculated, and statistical significances were tested
with one-way ANOVA (with post hoc Scheffé test) using
SPSS software (SPSS, Chicago, IL). Because of structural zeros in the
data, Pearson
2 statistic and adjusted
residuals were calculated according to procedures using log-linear
approaches as recommended by Bakeman and Quera (1995)
. An iterative
proportional fitting procedure was used (Fienberg, 1980
); adjusted
residuals were calculated using the Newton-Raphson algorithm (Haberman,
1979
). All rats were included in the analysis.
EEG data acquisition. Bipolar recordings were obtained.
Signals were filtered high pass at 1 Hz and low pass at 100 Hz and amplification at 300 µV/V. Digitization (sampling rate 1024 Hz) and
data recording was done using Windaq (Dataq Instruments,
Akron, OH).
Analysis of EEG data. A computer program segmented the EEG
according to the files with behavioral scoring. EEG segments were not
overlapped and averaged for each rat and behavior. Spectral power
density (in square volts) was calculated, reflecting energy and
thus electrical activity rather than amplitude (in volts). For the data
in Figures 2 and 3, power spectral density was calculated for segments
of 1 sec. For Figure 2, EEG of behavioral epochs <1 sec was discarded,
and epochs >1 sec were divided into the largest number of integer 1 sec segments. For Figure 3, epochs <1 sec were discarded, whereas only
the first second of epochs >1 sec was used. For the data of Figure 4,
behavioral epochs of at least 2 sec were used and divided into four
consecutive segments of 0.5 sec for power spectral density calculation.
For analysis after transition, the beginning of the first segment of an
EEG epoch was synchronous with the behavioral transition, and EEG was
analyzed up to 2 sec after transition. For analysis before transition,
the ending of the first segment was synchronous with the transition,
the second segment ended at the beginning of the first segment, and so
leading back to 2 sec before transition. Only animals showing the
characteristic pattern of hippocampal electrical activity were selected
for the analyses. From previous experiments, it was clear from
histological verification that electrodes were then adequately placed
in the hippocampus (van Luijtelaar and Coenen, 1984
). Data from both
the left and right brain hemisphere were used in the analysis.
Student's paired t test statistics and one-way ANOVA (with
post hoc Scheffé test) were calculated when
appropriate (SPSS 10). Regression analysis and covariance analysis were
performed on movement intensity and 8 Hz EEG power, including
normalized data from seven rats (SPSS).
 |
Results |
Sequential analysis of open field behavior
In Figure 1, results are given of
sequential analysis of the open field behavior. Association strength
between behavioral elements is depicted as adjusted residuals for the
different types of sniffing. Behavior was not independent of the
immediately preceding or following behavior
[
2(539) = 3356.54;
p < 0.001]. A high adjusted residual shows a high
association (a higher number of transitions than can be expected based
on the occurrence of the behaviors) between behaviors. "Sniffing
up" showed a high association with type 2 behaviors: sitting, face
washing, and eating, as well as with rearing. "Sniffing down" was
highly associated with "exploratory walking;" "sniffing wall"
was associated with "rearing supported" and "walking." The
mean ± SE number of transitions with type 1 behavior as a
percentage of number of transitions with type 1 and 2 behavior was as
follows: sniffing up, 0.71 ± 0.17; sniffing down,
0.86 ± 0.12; and sniffing wall, 0.91 ± 0.06 (n = 13). Sniffing up had more transitions with type 2 behaviors compared with sniffing down and sniffing wall
(F(2,36) = 9.277; p < 0.001; post hoc p < 0.05 and
p < 0.01, respectively).

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Figure 1.
Behavioral transitions with sniffing behaviors.
The figure shows the association strength (as adjusted residuals) of
sniffing up, sniffing down, and sniffing wall with other types of
behavior. A positive-adjusted residual reflects a higher number of
transitions between two behaviors than can be expected on the basis of
the occurrence of the two behaviors; a negative-adjusted residual means
a lower number of transitions between two behaviors than can be
expected on the basis of the occurrence of the two behaviors. The
larger the adjusted residual, the stronger the association between the
two behaviors is. Adjusted residuals are shown for transitions with
sniffing behaviors as first act, with the behaviors on the
x-axis representing following behaviors (Sniffing
as antecedent, left), and for transitions with
sniffing behaviors as second act, with the behaviors on the
x-axis representing preceding behaviors (Sniffing
as consequent, right). Wa,
Walking; Ru, running; Ho, hopping;
Ew, exploratory walking; Cl, climbing;
Re, rearing; Rs, rearing supported;
Ro, rearing object; Mf, manipulating
food; Ea, eating; Dr, drinking;
Fw, face washing; Bg, body grooming;
Gg, genital grooming; Sc, scratching;
Si, sitting; So, sniffing object;
Su, sniffing up; SD, sniffing down;
Sw, sniffing wall; Sf, sniffing food.
|
|
EEG power spectra of sniffing
The power spectra for visually distinguished types of sniffing
fell between those for walking and sitting (Fig.
2). Sniffing up most resembled the
spectrum for sitting; sniffing wall was most similar to the spectrum of
walking, and sniffing down fell between the spectra of sitting
and walking. Sniffing up showed a significant lower RSA amplitude at 8 Hz compared with sniffing wall
(F(2,36) = 3.954; p < 0.05; post hoc p < 0.05).

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Figure 2.
Hippocampal power spectra for visually
distinguished types of sniffing (sniffing up, sniffing down, and
sniffing wall). Also shown are power spectra for walking and sitting
(n = 8).
|
|
EEG effects of behavioral transitions
The power at theta frequencies of 8 Hz
(t(7) = 6.003; p < 0.01) and 9 Hz (t(7) = 2.558;
p < 0.05) was increased during sniffing up following
after walking compared with during sniffing up following after sitting
(Fig. 3). The effect of preceding
behavior on RSA power was not specific for sniffing up behavior but was
present during other types of sniffing as well. Also, during other type 1 behaviors and during other type 2 behaviors, RSA power was increased if a type 1 behavior preceded the behavior compared with if a type 2 behavior preceded it. In Figure 4,
behavioral elements were grouped into the categories of sniffing, type
1 behavior, and type 2 behavior. Individual behavioral elements
systematically showed the effects as shown for the grouped categories.
Figure 4 (top) shows the difference in spectral power during
a behavior between following after a type 1 compared with after a type
2 behavior. A marked difference occurred specifically for 8 Hz. In
time, the effect of preceding behavior on 8 Hz power during sniffing
was most prominent in the first half-second after transition (t(7) = 3.500; p < 0.05) and still present 0.5-1.0 sec
(t(7) = 2.990;
p < 0.05), 1.0-1.5 sec
(t(7) = 3.134; p < 0.05), and 1.5-2.0 sec (t(7) = 2.412;
p < 0.05) after the behavioral transition. During type
1 behavior, the effect was demonstrated for the first two half-second
segments (0-1.0 sec) (t(7) = 3.662, p < 0.01; and t(7) = 2.418, p < 0.05, respectively); during type 2 behavior, the effect was shown for the second half-second after
transition (0.5-1.5 sec) (t(7) = 3.093; p < 0.05). Not only did preceding behavior have
an effect on 8 Hz power, but following behavior had an effect as well
(Fig. 4, bottom). This effect of following behavior,
however, was smaller than the effect of preceding behavior. It could
only be demonstrated during sniffing and not during type 1 or type 2 behavior. It was present in all four half-second segments 0-2.0 sec
before behavioral transition (t(7) = 2.663, p < 0.05; t(7) = 2.800, p < 0.05; t(7) = 3.250, p < 0.05; and
t(7) = 3.344, p < 0.05, respectively).

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Figure 3.
Power density spectrum for sniffing up after
walking or after sitting. The first second of each sniffing up segment
is used. * indicates that absolute power differs at 8 Hz
(t(7) = 6.003; p < 0.01) and 9 Hz (t(7) = 2.558;
p < 0.05).
|
|

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Figure 4.
Transition effect. The transition effect is shown
for type 1, type 2, and sniffing behavior, each line
specifying one of four consecutive time segments of 0.5 sec. On the
top, each line represents the difference
in absolute power between following after type 1 and following after
type 2 behavior (After transition). On the
bottom, each line represents the
difference in absolute power between preceding before type 1 and before
type 2 behavior (Before transition). * indicates
significant difference in absolute power at 8 Hz between transitions
with type 1 and type 2 behavior (p < 0.05).
Note that the difference between the two spectra is
shown.
|
|
Intensity of head and paw movements during sniffing at
behavioral transitions
Intensity of motor movements of the head and limbs during sniffing
behavior in the first 2 sec preceding or following transition differed
between transitions with a type 1 or type 2 behavior (Table
1). For all four time segments for both
after and before transition, intensity of head and limb movements
during sniffing behavior was higher for transitions with a type 1 behavior than for transitions with a type 2 behavior. Data from the
movement intensity and 8 Hz EEG power were combined and further
analyzed. EEG power at 8 Hz was higher for type 1 transitions compared
with type 2 transitions (F(1,110) = 103.227; p < 0.001), as well as intensity of movement
(F(1,110) = 40.357; p < 0.001). Data of both 8 Hz EEG power and intensity of head and limb
movements during sniffing behavior were fitted in a regression analysis
(Fig. 5). Intensity of movement and 8 Hz
EEG power correlated significantly (p < 0.001)
with r = 0.453, explaining only 20.5% of the total variance. On the basis of the correlation between intensity of movement
and 8 Hz EEG power, a covariance analysis was performed to establish
whether the difference in 8 Hz EEG power could be attributed to
differences in intensity of movement. The analysis of covariance with
intensity of movement as covariate showed that the difference in 8 Hz
EEG power during sniffing remained significant between transitions with
a type 1 and type 2 behavior (F(1,109) = 62.866; p < 0.001). Unstandardized residuals
of the regression differed between type 1 and type 2 transitions
(F(1,110) = 40.192; p < 0.0001), showing that data points of type 1 transitions lay on
average above the regression line (0.1 ± 0.02, mean ± SEM) and data points of type 2 transitions on average under the line (
0.1 ± 0.02, mean ± SEM).

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Figure 5.
Regression analysis of intensity of movements and
8 Hz power of sniffing. For each rat, each time segment, and for both
after and before transition, data points of intensity of movements were
plotted against 8 Hz EEG power of sniffing. Transitions between
sniffing and type 1 behavior are represented by filled
symbols; transitions with type 2 behavior are represented by
open symbols. Intensity of movements and 8 Hz EEG power
were positively correlated; r = 0.453. Data points
of type 1 transitions are on average above the regression line, and
data points of type 2 transitions on average under the regression
line.
|
|
 |
Discussion |
The type of behavior preceding and following a behavioral element
influenced its spectral power. Transitions with either a type 1 or a
type 2 behavior modulated the RSA component. This modulating effect was
shown during several types of behavior. It was prominently present
during sniffing and type 1 behavior and was less clearly found during
type 2 behaviors. The duration of the effect made it evident that the
effect could not solely be attributed to blurred starting or end points
of behaviors. It has been reported that EEG appears to precede the EMG
by 0.5 sec in the case of a spontaneous transition from standing to
walking in dogs (Arnolds et al., 1979
). Our results showed a prolonged effect on RSA power, demonstrating a systematic modulation of hippocampal EEG correlates of behavior by behavioral transitions.
This modulating effect on RSA power could contribute to the differences
in EEG patterns between types of sniffing behavior. The power spectrum
of sniffing up resembled spectra of type 2 behavior with regard to RSA
peak power. In contrast, sniffing down and sniffing wall more closely
resembled spectra of type 1 behavior. This corresponds with
observations made by Coenen (1975)
. Sequential analysis of behavior
showed that more transitions with type 2 behaviors relative to type 1 behaviors occurred in sniffing up compared with the other types of
sniffing. Furthermore, a behavioral transition with a type 2 behavior
resulted in a lower RSA peak power than a transition with a type 1 behavior. The combination of these two results would lead to the lower
RSA power in the spectrum of sniffing up. It remains yet to be
quantified to what extent the EEG effect of behavioral transitions
could contribute to the differences in power spectra between types of
sniffing relative to other putative influences. Such influences include differences in the level of automation or stereotypy between the sniffing behaviors (Coenen, 1975
), differences in motor patterns, and
differences in the vigor of execution of head or paw movements that can
occur concurrent with the sniffing (Vanderwolf and Robinson, 1981
).
A clear relationship between behavior and hippocampal RSA has been
amply demonstrated over the last decades. Our results indicate that, in this relationship, previous and following behavior
systematically modulate the RSA contents of the hippocampal EEG
correlates of behavior. The strong and systematic relationship between
hippocampal RSA and behavior appears to be further modulated
systematically by the behavioral-sequential context. Studies on
hippocampal lesions have demonstrated the role of the hippocampus in
sequential behavior (Terlecki and Sainsbury, 1978
; Cannon et al.,
1992
). The modulating effect of behavioral transitions could indicate
that the link between behavioral output and RSA is not as direct. Our
results show different hippocampal EEG patterns (namely RSA) for the
same visually scored behavior in terms of movement patterns.
However, sniffing behavior was not the same in terms of the intensity
of movements of the head and paws. Concurrent with increased RSA power
during sniffing for transitions with type 1 behavior, increased
intensity of head and paw movements during sniffing behavior was
demonstrated. It has been described that more vigorous movements are
accompanied by higher-amplitude RSA (Whishaw and Vanderwolf, 1973
). Our
data confirm a positive correlation between EEG power at 8 Hz and the
intensity of head and paw movements during sniffing. Therefore,
differences in intensity of movement will have contributed to the
transition effect. However, the percentage of variance explained by
differences in movement intensity was low, and covariance analysis
showed that, even when corrected for intensity of movements,
transitions with type 1 behavior still had a higher 8 Hz power.
Thus, the higher 8 Hz power for transitions with type 1 behavior cannot
be solely explained by the intensity of movements of head and paws
during sniffing. A second factor seems to be involved, which is not
dependent on the intensity of movements.
The estimate of only 20.5% of variance explained by intensity of motor
movements is based on a linear association and assumes accurate
measurement of actual intensity of motor movements. Movements were
quantified by determining distances moved by the head and paws on a
two-dimensional video screen, although movements are three dimensional.
Thus, distance moved could be underestimated, increasingly so for
larger movements. At equal two-dimensional movement scores, however,
this underestimation should be equal. For the data points in the area
of intensity scores between 0.47 and 0.60 (Fig. 5), intensity scores
are equal for type 1 and type 2 transitions. In this area, 8 Hz power
still differs between the two groups. Thus, the higher 8 Hz EEG power
for type 1 transitions will still hold, even if actual movements were
underestimated. Video analysis of motor intensity, however, could not
measure muscle tension that did not result in movement. With regard to the assumption of linearity, several nonlinear curves have been fitted
on the data. Nonlinear fits decreased
R2 or only marginally increased
R2. For example, an exponential
relationship rendered an R2 of
0.26 (0.20 for a linear association). The highest
R2 was 0.30 for a third-order
polynomial fit. However, this kind of association between 8 Hz power
and movement intensity is hard to interpret. Thus, nonlinear
associations between 8 Hz EEG power and movement did not greatly
influence the amount of variance explained by the association.
Consequently, the suggested presence of a second factor that is
independent of movement does not critically depend on the assumption of
a linear association between 8 Hz EEG power and intensity of motor movements.
A likely possibility for a process that additionally contributes to the
relationship between hippocampal theta and behavior is a sensory
process, in accordance with recent theories that relate
hippocampal theta to sensorimotor mechanisms (Oddie and Bland, 1998
;
Sainsbury, 1998
; Vanderwolf, 2001
). Bland and Oddie (2001)
formulated a
model that involves the hippocampal theta rhythm in mechanisms
underlying sensorimotor integration. In this model, type 1 theta gives
a direct indication of the level of activation of the motor systems
involved in type 1 behavior, whereas type 2 theta indicates the
processing of sensory information. This type 2 theta is always
coincidental with type 1 theta and provides the motor systems with
continually updated feedback information on changing sensory conditions
(Bland and Oddie, 2001
). The modulation of the hippocampal EEG
correlates of behavior by the sequential context reported here
can be fitted to this sensorimotor integration model. Higher RSA power
after or before a transition with a voluntary movement could indicate
the contribution of sensory information processing in the form of type
2 theta. This is based on the assumption that, in the open field
situation in these experiments, more sensory information processing
takes place in a sequence of voluntary movements (exploration) than
in a sequence of type 2 behaviors.
The contribution of sensory processes to hippocampal theta in addition
to motor activity could not only explain our data but seems more
reasonable because complications with a simple motor movement
hypothesis have been reported repeatedly. Many other species show
obvious hippocampal theta during motionless vigilance states, as well
as during movement. Rabbits, for example, display trains of theta
during immobility (Klemm, 1971
). Theta can be recorded from
animals anesthetized with ether (MacLean, 1959
), and theta
appears in immobile rats just before a jump avoidance response
(Vanderwolf, 1969
). Thus, our data confirm problems with a simple motor
movement hypothesis and offer experimental support for the recent
theories on a sensorimotor function of hippocampal theta.
Nevertheless, other processes could explain the data: for example, a
process that slowly changes the rat's brain state to increase both the
probability of type 1 behavior activity and the tendency for the
production of theta rhythm. Our data cannot distinguish between the two
possibilities, but these possibilities could well be one and the same
process. Such a process as slowly changing brain states could operate
by modulating the processing of sensory information. Thus, at
behavioral transitions, a second component of theta is revealed,
reflecting the processing of sensory stimuli that are relevant to the
initiation and maintenance of voluntary motor behaviors.
Another alternative is that higher-order functions could, in addition
to motor activity, contribute to the relationship between RSA and
behavior. However, it is not yet clear whether these functions could
contribute to RSA and through which specific mechanism. Higher-order
functions include attention (Wall and Messier, 2001
), memory (Redish,
2001
), spatial navigation and learning (Jarrard, 1995
; Whishaw et al.,
2001
), and anxiety (File et al., 2000
).
To conclude, a systematic modulating effect of behavioral transitions
on hippocampal EEG correlates of open field behavior was shown. This
indicates that the behavioral-sequential context modulates the
relationship between behavior and hippocampal RSA. Results of the
present studies suggest the presence of (at least) two superimposed
processes in the relationship between hippocampal RSA and behavior. In
addition to the well established relationship between RSA and motor
activity, a second nonmotor process appears to contribute to
hippocampal RSA. A likely candidate is a sensory process, which
is in accordance with theories on the sensorimotor function of the
hippocampus and hippocampal EEG.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
Received Sept. 9, 2002; revised Nov. 26, 2002; accepted Dec. 26, 2002.
This experiment was conducted by H.v.L. while she and W.H.I.M.D. were
at Organon Laboratories (Newhouse, Scotland). We kindly acknowledge
Organon Laboratories for their financial and practical support. Dr.
Vijn is kindly acknowledged for his support in data acquisition and
processing and Dr. van Luijtelaar for his advice.
Correspondence should be addressed to Hester van Lier, Nijmegen
Institute for Cognition and Information, Department of Biological Psychology, University of Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. E-mail: h.vanlier{at}nici.kun.nl.
 |
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