Ontogeny of context-specific latent inhibition of conditioned fear: implications for configural associations theory and hippocampal formation development.

Latent inhibition of fear conditioning to an auditory cue, is measured by behavioral freezing, was examined in 18- and 23-day-old rats. In Experiment 1, CS preexposure and conditioning occurred in the same context for some rats but in a different context for other rats, and 24 hr separated CS preexposure and conditioning. The 23-day-old rats showed a context-specific latent inhibition effect, but the 18-day-old rats showed no latent inhibition. In Experiment 2, CS preexposure and conditioning occurred in the same training session and both 18- and 23-day-old rats showed latent inhibition. These results were discussed in relation to Wagner's (1976) theory of information processing, hippocampal formation maturation, and function, and Sutherland and Rudy's (1989) configural association theory.