Tem sido relatada a escassez de pesquisas sobre possíveis relações entre variabilidade comportamental e controle aversivo. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi analisar a aquisição e a manutenção da variabilidade reforçada positivamente, tendo como adição a punição de padrão não variável. Ratos foram divididos em três grupos. Na Fase 1, os sujeitos de dois grupos, denominados L (n=4) e A (n=4), foram submetidos ao reforçamento positivo em LAG 4, no qual sequências de quatro respostas a duas barras (direita D; esquerda E) foram reforçadas quando diferiram das quatro anteriormente emitidas, não havendo consequência programada para as sequências que não atenderam a esse critério. No terceiro grupo, denominado LC (n=8), os animais também foram expostos ao LAG 4, com a diferença de que as sequências que não atenderam ao critério de reforçamento foram seguidas de choque elétrico de 0,1s/0,3mA (LAG 4+CHOQUE). A partir da Fase 2, somente os animais dos Grupos L e A permaneceram no experimento. O Grupo L foi exposto ao LAG 4+CHOQUE e o Grupo A, ao procedimento ACO+CHOQUE, no qual a distribuição desses estímulos foi acoplada à obtida pelos animais do grupo anterior. Nas Fases 3 e 4, os animais dos Grupos L e A foram expostos ao LAG 4, havendo um intervalo de um mês entre as fases, no qual os permaneceram no biotério. Na Fase 5, os sujeitos do Grupo L foram mantidos sob LAG 4 e os do Grupo A tiveram a distribuição de reforços acoplada ao grupo anterior. Na Fase 6, os animais receberam reforço positivo ou um período de timeout: no Grupo L, a água era contingente ao critério de LAG 4 e o TO às demais sequências e no Grupo A, a liberação de água ou TO foi acoplada à distribuição obtida pelos sujeitos do grupo anterior. Os resultados mostram aquisição e manutenção da variabilidade em todas as fases experimentais, porém com alguma interferência dos choques dificultando principalmente a aquisição do padrão variável. Os efeitos mais acentuados foram obtidos em menores índices U, das porcentagens de sequências reforçadas e das taxas de resposta entre os animais do Grupo LC, na Fase 1. Esses efeitos foram analisados como possíveis produtos de uma aquisição de funções discriminativas do choque elétrico para algumas sequências. Nesse sentido, embora seja possível instalar e manter repertórios variáveis mesmo quando uma contingência de punição é sobreposta ao reforçamento positivo, a instalação pode ser, ao menos parcialmente, prejudicada. Novas investigações sobre as possíveis relações entre punição e reforçamento positivo da variabilidade comportamental são sugeridas / There is a lack of empirical research concerning the existence of relations between behavioral variability and aversive control. This research aimed to scrutinize the acquisition and the maintenance of the behavioral variability established by positive reinforcement in addition to the punishment of the non-variable pattern of response. Rats were divided in three distinct groups. In Phase 1, subjects of two groups, namely L (n=4) and A (n=4) was submitted to positive reinforcement in LAG 4, in which sequences of four responses in two available bars (right R; left L) when they differed from the four responses emitted previously. No programmed consequences followed the sequences that had not accomplished the criterion. For the third group, namely LC (n=8), the rats were also exposed to LAG 4, except that the sequences that had not accomplished the reinforcement criterion were followed by a 0,1s/0,3mA electric shock (LAG+SHOCK). Only groups L and A were kept in the experiment from Phase 2 up to the end of the experiment. Group L was exposed to LAG 4 + SHOCK while Group A was exposed to ACO+SCHOCK, in which the distribution of these stimuli were coupled to those produced by the previous group. During Phases 3 and 4, the rats from Groups L and A were exposed to LAG 4, after an interval of one month between both phases. During this period the animals were kept in their cages allocated in a warren. In Phase 5, rats from Group L were maintained in the LAG 4 condition while the distribution of reinforcement to the rats of Group A was coupled to those produced by the previous group. In Phase 6, the rats may produce positive reinforcement or a period of timeout (TO): for Group L, water was delivered contingent upon LAG 4 criterion whereas TO followed the other sequences. For Group A the distribution of water or TO was coupled to those obtained by the previous group. The results showed the acquisition and maintenance of behavioral variability in all experimental phases. However the shocks affected these processes, stunting the acquisition of the variable pattern of behavior. The most critical effects were observed in the lowest U values, from percentages of reinforced sequences and of response rates between rats from Group LC, in Phase 1. These effects were interpreted as one of several possible outcomes of the acquisition of discriminative functions of the electric shock that followed some of the sequences. In this sense, even though it is possible to establish and to maintain several variable repertories even when a punishment contingency is superimposed to the positive reinforcement, the conditioning can be, at least partially, impaired. New investigations concerning the relationship between punishment and positive reinforcement of the behavioral variability were also suggested

Le trouble de stress post-traumatique (TSPT) est un trouble de type anxieux se déclenchant généralement suite à une expérience traumatisante. Des structures cérébrales telles que le cortex préfrontal, l’hippocampe ou encore l’amygdale, appartenant au réseau impliqué dans l’apprentissage et les mémoires émotionnelles, sont particulièrement altérées. Ce réseau étant extrêmement bien conservé au cours de l’évolution, la mise en place et le maintien des mémoires aversives peut être étudiés chez le rongeur par un paradigme pavlovien de peur conditionnée. Notre équipe a identifié une forte expression du transporteur vésiculaire du glutamate, VGLUT3 dans l’amygdale basolatérale (BLA). VGLUT3, comme les autres transporteurs vésiculaires du glutamate (VGLUTs), permet l’internalisation du glutamate dans les vésicules synaptiques. Il se distingue des autres VGLUTs par sa distribution et ses fonctions atypiques. Mes travaux de recherche nous ont permis d’identifier les populations neuronales exprimant VGLUT3 dans la BLA, et de définir son rôle dans les processus de mémoires aversives. La caractérisation anatomique a révélé que : 1/ VGLUT3 est uniquement présent dans une sous-population d’interneurones GABAergiques de la BLA, et 2/ VGLUT3 est exprimé dans les terminaisons cholinergiques et sérotoninergiques de la BLA, permettant d’identifier deux populations de neurones de projections possédant VGLUT3. L’étude du rôle fonctionnel de VGLUT3 a été réalisé par l’utilisation d’une approche génétique couplée à une approche virale pour invalider VGLUT3 dans les terminaisons GABAergiques, sérotoninergiques ou bien cholinergiques. Les souris présentant une inactivation constitutive de VGLUT3 montrent une généralisation au contexte et une extinction rapide. L’inactivation spécifique de VGLUT3 dans la BLA ou dans le cerveau antérieur basal – site d’origine des neurones de projections cholinergiques vers la BLA perturbent également les mémoires aversives, soulignant le rôle spécifique de VGLUT3 dans les réponses modulant la peur à travers sa présence dans l’amygdale basolatérale. Ces nouvelles données permettront de mieux comprendre le fonctionnement et le rôle de VGLUT3 dans les mémoires émotionnelles, et d’explorer son éventuelle implication dans des troubles de l’anxiété tel le TSPT. / Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety-like disorder usually triggered by a traumatic experience. Brain structures such as the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus or the amygdala belonging to the learning and emotional memories network, are particularly affected. As this network is extremely well conserved during evolution, acquisition and consolidation of aversive memories can be studied by a Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm in rodents. Our team has identified a strong expression of the vesicular glutamate transporter, VGLUT3 in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). VGLUT3 allows, like all vesicular transporters, neurotransmitter internalization, here the glutamate in synaptic vesicles. VGLUT3 is atypical because of its distribution and its functions. The aim of my work is to identify the neuronal population expressing VGLUT3 in the amygdala as well as its role in processing aversive memories. The anatomical characterisation revealed: 1/ VGLUT3 mRNA in BLA GABAergic interneurons, 2/ VGLUT3 protein in cholinergic and serotoninergic terminals in the BLA, identifying two populations of projecting neurons expressing VGLUT3. To decipher the functional role of VGLUT3, we used viral and genetic approaches to ablate VGLUT3 either in GABAergic, serotoninergic or cholinergic terminals. Mice lacking VGLUT3 constitutively show contextual generalization and rapid extinction. Specific inactivation of VGLUT3 in BLA impairs aversive memories, shedding light on a specific role of VGLUT3 in modulating fear responses through its presence in BLA interneurons. These new data will be discussed in the context of PTSD and would open a new direction for the development of therapeutic treatment.

This study examined whether the disproportionality of African American children referred to special education is influenced by the level of implicit racial bias among teachers, using the aversive racism theory. Data were collected from teachers of kindergarten through sixth grade in the Iowa City Community School District through email recruitment. Using a factorial survey design, teachers evaluated five vignettes, each with five questions mirroring the referral process to special education, an implicit and explicit racial bias measure, and demographics. Of the 307 teachers emailed, only 21 completed the full survey. The small sample size hindered the analysis due to violations of two of the major assumptions of linear regression: normality and constant variance. Due to these violations, only limited interpretations can be concluded from the linear models. A logistic regression was also completed on the referral for special education dependent variable and yielded the following significant results: The teachers who scored high on the explicit racism measure were more likely to refer a child to a special education assessment and other results revealed associations between certain characteristics and behaviors of the children and their likelihood of referral. The majority of teachers in the sample (67%) scored high in implicit racial bias but none of the models indicates a relationship between the child's race and referral to special education. The study suggests there is some connection between implicit racial bias and referrals to special education but not due to race. However, the complexity of relationships among these and other factors in both interpersonal relationships and classroom dynamics makes it necessary to further investigate this question and potentially remedy the problem of disproportionality in special education.

No description available.

I tested the efficacy of aversive conditioning (AC) and conditioned taste aversion (CTA) on American black bears (Ursus americanus) in Whistler, British Columbia. Black bears subjected to 3-5 day AC programs responded by increasing their wariness toward humans, while control bears habituated. Bears were located closer to human developments during daylight hours after AC treatments. However, there was no difference in the proportion of utilization distribution that overlapped with developed areas in control or AC-treated bears. CTA may be effective for managing specific attractants that are difficult to secure from bears. Bears appeared to distinguish between baits treated with thiabendazole and baits that were not treated, but by using a protocol that caused severe illness and left the source of illness in doubt, I induced taste aversions to apples in 4 bears. Using both AC and CTA may help wildlife managers mitigate human-wildlife conflicts non-lethally more effectively. / Ecology

Recent developments in emotion and EI research have introduced new ways of measuring emotional abilities, including performance based tests. The current study aimed to examine the associations of three emotional abilities, using three objective measures. The study consisted of a survey and an experiment, where 89 participants completed performance based multimodal emotion recognition and emotion understanding tests, and a conditioning task using social aversive and appetitive stimuli. The results showed that individuals who are more proficient in emotion understanding were more accurate in emotion recognition and more effective in extinguishing fear-evoking responses. In addition, individuals proficient in emotion recognition were shown to have stronger general responding during fear acquisition. Furthermore, various findings related to emotion understanding and emotion recognition modalities, including item difficulty and specific emotions. Implications of current findings support the notion of separate but related emotional abilities while also highlighting a potentially underlying mechanism or core emotional competence.

Comment les odeurs contrôlent-elles le comportement animal ? Dans ma thèse, j'ai utilisé des manipulations optogénétiques et chimiogénétiques in vivo de l'activité neurale combinées à des analyses comportementales pour explorer l'organisation de circuits cérébraux impliqués dans des comportements olfactifs chez la souris. J'ai mis au point un test de conditionnement aversif olfactif indépendant de l'intensité des odeurs. J'ai démontré que les souris pouvaient généraliser une réponse aversive en présentant différentes concentrations d'odeurs. J’ai ensuite testé si les souris pouvaient apprendre cette tâche en inactivant les interneurones exprimant la parvalbumine dans le cortex olfactif (piriforme). J'ai trouvé que l’inactivation des cellules PV, n'était pas suffisante pour abolir l'aversion aux odeurs acquise, ce qui suggère que des composants de circuits neuronaux supplémentaires contribuent à la perception de l'odeur indépendamment de sa concentration. Ensuite, j'ai tenté de comprendre la constitution relative des différentes voies neurales du piriforme dans ce comportement d’aversion apprise. À l'aide d'outils génétiques et viraux, j'ai ciblé des sous-populations distinctes de neurones piriformes, et j'ai constaté que l'activité neurale induite par la lumière dans les cellules du piriforme projetant vers le bulbe olfactif et vers le cortex préfrontal, mais pas dans les cellules du piriforme projetant vers l’amygdale corticale et vers le cortex entorhinal latéral était suffisante pour supporter le conditionnement aversif. Ces résultats contribuent à mieux comprendre les propriétés fonctionnelles des circuits neuronaux corticaux pour l'olfaction. / How do odors control animal behavior ? In my thesis, I have used in vivo optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulations of neural activity combined with behavioral analyses to explore the organization of brain circuits involved in olfactory behaviors in mice. In the first part of the thesis, I established an odor intensity-independent olfactory conditioning task. I demonstrated that mice were able to generalize a learned escape behavior across a range of different odor concentrations. I then tested if by silencing Parvalbumin-expressing interneurons in the olfactory (piriform) cortex, a candidate cell population for mediating odor concentration invariance, mice would fail to learn the task. I found that silencing PV cells was not sufficient to abolish learned aversion, suggesting that additional neural circuit components contribute to concentration-invariant odor perception. Next, I asked whether different piriform neural output pathways differed in their ability to support learned aversion. Using viral-genetic tools, I targeted distinct subpopulations of piriform neurons and I found that light-induced neural activity in only piriform principle cells could drive a behavioral response. Furthermore, I tested the sufficiency of subpopulations of piriform projection neurons to drive learned aversion. I found that photostimulation of olfactory bulb- and prefrontal cortex-projecting piriform neurons was sufficient to support aversive conditioning, but not the photostimulation of cortical amygdala- and lateral entorhinal cortex-projecting piriform neurons. Together, these results provide new insights into the functional properties of cortical neural circuits for olfaction.

Novas informações assimiladas pelo sistema nervoso primeiramente ficam em um estado de labilidade para depois se estabilizarem através de um processo conhecido como consolidação, que envolve síntese de proteínas. Depois da reativação, uma memória previamente consolidada retorna ao seu estado de labilidade, e para que volte a ser estável, é necessário que haja novamente síntese de proteínas. Este segundo processo é chamado de reconsolidação. Recentemente os mecanismos moleculares e celulares envolvidos na regulação da síntese protéica relacionados à formação de memória de longa duração vêm sendo esclarecidos. A proteína alvo da rapamicina em mamíferos (mTOR) modula a plasticidade sináptica pela regulação da fosforilação de dois alvos: a proteína ribossomal S6K e a proteína de ligação 4E. A amígdala basolateral e o hipocampo dorsal são parte integrante do sistema neural envolvido na formação e expressão de diversos tipos de memórias. Estudos indicam que a via de sinalização da mTOR no hipocampo tem um papel importante na consolidação da memória de ratos submetidos a tarefa de esquiva inibitória e reconhecimento de objetos e na reconsolidação da memória de medo contextual condicionado. Contudo, estudos anteriores não avaliaram o efeito da inibição de mTOR amigdalar sobre a memória de esquiva inibitória e reconhecimento de objetos. O objetivo do presente trabalho é investigar o efeito da inibição de mTOR na amígdala basolateral por rapamicina na consolidação e reconsolidação da memória de esquiva inibitória e reconhecimento de objetos e comparar estes resultados com a inibição de mTOR no hipocampo. Ratos Wistar machos foram submetidos à cirurgia estereotáxica para implantação de cânulas na amígdala basolateral e hipocampo dorsal. Os animais foram submetidos à tarefa de esquiva inibitória, um modelo animal de memória de caráter aversivo, e a tarefa de reconhecimento de objetos, um modelo animal de memória de caráter pouco aversivo. Para investigar o efeito da inibição de mTOR na consolidação e reconsolidação da memória, os animais receberam microinfusões de rapamicina intra-amigdalar e intra-hipocampal em diferentes tempos em torno do treino e do teste. Nós demonstramos que a via de sinalização de mTOR na amígdala basolateral é necessária para consolidação da memória de esquiva inibitória e de reconhecimento de objetos. Nós também mostramos que a reativação torna a memória novamente suscetível e sensível à inibição de mTOR por rapamicina. / Memory formation requires protein synthesis, but only recently the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of protein synthesis related to the formation of long term memory has been elucidated. During memory formation, new information is acquired by the central nervous system as an initially fragile trace that over time becomes stable through a process known as consolidation. After reactivation, previously consolidated memories might return to a labile state, requiring a new round of protein synthesis to be restabilized. This second process is called reconsolidation. The basolateral amygdala and dorsal hippocampus are part of the neural systems involved in the formation and expression of several types of memory. One key regulator of protein synthesis is mTOR, a protein critical for different forms of synaptic plasticity by regulation of two targets: S6K and 4EBP. Evidence indicates that the mTOR signaling pathway in hippocampus has an important role in consolidation in rats of inhibitory avoidance and object recognition in rats, as well as in reconsolidation of contextual fear conditioning. However, previous studies have not examinated the effect of amygdalar mTOR inhibition on reconsolidation of inhibitory avoidance and object recognition. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of amygdalar mTOR inhibition by rapamycin on consolidation and reconsolidation of inhibitory avoidance and object recognition, and compare the results with those obtained with hippocampal mTOR inhibition. Male rats Wistar underwent stereotaxic surgeries for cannulae implantation above the basolateral amygdala or dorsal hippocampus. After recovery, the animals were trained in inhibitory avoidance, an aversive memory task, or object recognition, a less aversive task. To investigate the effect of mTOR inhibition on memory consolidation and reconsolidation, we administered rapamycin, a specific mTOR inhibitor, into the basolateral amygdala or the dorsal hippocampus before or after training or reactivation. Our results provide evidence that mTOR in the basolateral amygdala and hippocampus might play a role in inhibitory avoidance and object recognition memory formation and reconsolidation.

Experiências sensoriais no início da vida podem afetar o desenvolvimento neural e o comportamento de um animal adulto. Tanto a manipulação quanto a separação neonatal são utilizadas como modelo para avaliar de que forma mudanças no ambiente neonatal podem influenciar a vida adulta do animal. A manipulação neonatal em ratos consiste na separação dos filhotes por alguns minutos nas primeiras duas semanas de vida, os filhotes sendo afastados da mãe durante 10 minutos por dia, do 1° ao 10° dia e colocados em uma estufa a 32°C, enquanto a mãe permanece sozinha na caixa moradia, próxima a este equipamento. Na separação neonatal em ratos, os filhotes também são afastados das mães, do 1° ao 10° dia de vida, porém por um período mais longo (3 h/dia a 32°C). Sabe-se que tais procedimentos podem alterar a resposta ao estresse na vida adulta. O estresse mostra-se como um importante regulador dos processos de memória. O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi verificar se a manipulação e a separação materna no período neonatal alteram a persistência da extinção de uma memória aversiva, comparada com uma memória não-aversiva. Três meses após a realização das intervenções neonatais foram realizados os testes comportamentais para observação da memória dos animais, utilizando teste de medo condicionado ao contexto, como tarefa utilizando estímulo aversivo, e transferência social de preferência alimentar, como tarefa utilizando estímulo apetitivo. Conseguimos observar a partir das tarefas realizadas que o grupo controle demonstrou o comportamento esperado nos dois tipos de tarefa. Evidenciamos aprendizado significativo nas duas tarefas, eficiência na extinção, e recuperação espontânea da memória aversiva. Embora esta última etapa não tenha sido significativa na tarefa apetitiva, em média há um aumento visível no consumo no teste 2, mostrando de certa forma uma recuperação espontânea. O grupo manipulado apresentou aprendizado nos dois tipos de tarefa, e extinção satisfatória. Tanto na tarefa aversiva como na apetitiva, não houve recuperação espontânea da memória neste grupo. O grupo separado também demonstrou aprendizado nas duas tarefas, sendo que na tarefa aversiva se comportou de forma semelhante ao grupo controle, aprendendo a tarefa, extinguindo com eficiência e apresentando recuperação espontânea. Já na tarefa apetitiva o mesmo demonstrou deficiência no processo de extinção. Animais manipulados e separados apresentam comportamentos diferenciados tanto na tarefa apetitiva quanto na tarefa aversiva quanto à persistência dessas memórias, sendo que a memória mais robusta foi observada na tarefa apetitiva do grupo separado, dentro dos parâmetros aqui estudados. / Sensory experiences early in life can affect neural development and behavior of an adult animal. Both, neonatal handling and separation are used as a model to assess how changes in the neonatal environment can influence adult life of the animal. Neonatal handling in rats is the separation of the pups for a few minutes in the first two weeks of life, where the chicks are removed from the mother for 10 minutes per day, from day 1 to day 10, being placed in an oven at 32 ° C while the mother remains alone in the box next to housing this equipment. In neonatal separation in rats, the pups are also away from mothers, from day 1 to day 10, but for a longer period (3 h/day at 32 ° C). It is known that such procedures may alter the stress response in adulthood. The aim of this study was to checks whether the handling and maternal separation in the neonatal period alters the persistence of extinction of an aversive compared with a non-aversive memory. Three months after the neonatal intervention, behavioral tests were performed to observe the memory in rats, using the task of contextual fear conditioning, as task using aversive stimulus, and social transmission of food preference, as task using appetitive stimulus. We observe from the tasks performed that the control group showed a similar and an expected behavior in both types of task. We evidenced significant learning on both tasks, efficient extinction, and spontaneous recovery of aversive memory. Although this last step was not significant in appetitive task, on average there is a noticeable increase in feed intake with cumin in test 2, indicating a spontaneous recovery. The manipulated group expressed learning in both tasks, and efficient extinction, as there was no spontaneous recovery in both, the aversive and the appetitive tasks. The separate group show learning in both tasks, whereas the aversive task behaved similarly to the control group, the learning tasks, extinguishing efficiently and presenting spontaneous recovery. Animals handling and separated have different behaviors in both appetitive task in the task as aversive as the persistence of these memories, and memory stronger was observed in the separate group in appetitive task within, the parameters studied here.

Experiências sensoriais no início da vida podem afetar o desenvolvimento neural e o comportamento de um animal adulto. Tanto a manipulação quanto a separação neonatal são utilizadas como modelo para avaliar de que forma mudanças no ambiente neonatal podem influenciar a vida adulta do animal. A manipulação neonatal em ratos consiste na separação dos filhotes por alguns minutos nas primeiras duas semanas de vida, os filhotes sendo afastados da mãe durante 10 minutos por dia, do 1° ao 10° dia e colocados em uma estufa a 32°C, enquanto a mãe permanece sozinha na caixa moradia, próxima a este equipamento. Na separação neonatal em ratos, os filhotes também são afastados das mães, do 1° ao 10° dia de vida, porém por um período mais longo (3 h/dia a 32°C). Sabe-se que tais procedimentos podem alterar a resposta ao estresse na vida adulta. O estresse mostra-se como um importante regulador dos processos de memória. O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi verificar se a manipulação e a separação materna no período neonatal alteram a persistência da extinção de uma memória aversiva, comparada com uma memória não-aversiva. Três meses após a realização das intervenções neonatais foram realizados os testes comportamentais para observação da memória dos animais, utilizando teste de medo condicionado ao contexto, como tarefa utilizando estímulo aversivo, e transferência social de preferência alimentar, como tarefa utilizando estímulo apetitivo. Conseguimos observar a partir das tarefas realizadas que o grupo controle demonstrou o comportamento esperado nos dois tipos de tarefa. Evidenciamos aprendizado significativo nas duas tarefas, eficiência na extinção, e recuperação espontânea da memória aversiva. Embora esta última etapa não tenha sido significativa na tarefa apetitiva, em média há um aumento visível no consumo no teste 2, mostrando de certa forma uma recuperação espontânea. O grupo manipulado apresentou aprendizado nos dois tipos de tarefa, e extinção satisfatória. Tanto na tarefa aversiva como na apetitiva, não houve recuperação espontânea da memória neste grupo. O grupo separado também demonstrou aprendizado nas duas tarefas, sendo que na tarefa aversiva se comportou de forma semelhante ao grupo controle, aprendendo a tarefa, extinguindo com eficiência e apresentando recuperação espontânea. Já na tarefa apetitiva o mesmo demonstrou deficiência no processo de extinção. Animais manipulados e separados apresentam comportamentos diferenciados tanto na tarefa apetitiva quanto na tarefa aversiva quanto à persistência dessas memórias, sendo que a memória mais robusta foi observada na tarefa apetitiva do grupo separado, dentro dos parâmetros aqui estudados. / Sensory experiences early in life can affect neural development and behavior of an adult animal. Both, neonatal handling and separation are used as a model to assess how changes in the neonatal environment can influence adult life of the animal. Neonatal handling in rats is the separation of the pups for a few minutes in the first two weeks of life, where the chicks are removed from the mother for 10 minutes per day, from day 1 to day 10, being placed in an oven at 32 ° C while the mother remains alone in the box next to housing this equipment. In neonatal separation in rats, the pups are also away from mothers, from day 1 to day 10, but for a longer period (3 h/day at 32 ° C). It is known that such procedures may alter the stress response in adulthood. The aim of this study was to checks whether the handling and maternal separation in the neonatal period alters the persistence of extinction of an aversive compared with a non-aversive memory. Three months after the neonatal intervention, behavioral tests were performed to observe the memory in rats, using the task of contextual fear conditioning, as task using aversive stimulus, and social transmission of food preference, as task using appetitive stimulus. We observe from the tasks performed that the control group showed a similar and an expected behavior in both types of task. We evidenced significant learning on both tasks, efficient extinction, and spontaneous recovery of aversive memory. Although this last step was not significant in appetitive task, on average there is a noticeable increase in feed intake with cumin in test 2, indicating a spontaneous recovery. The manipulated group expressed learning in both tasks, and efficient extinction, as there was no spontaneous recovery in both, the aversive and the appetitive tasks. The separate group show learning in both tasks, whereas the aversive task behaved similarly to the control group, the learning tasks, extinguishing efficiently and presenting spontaneous recovery. Animals handling and separated have different behaviors in both appetitive task in the task as aversive as the persistence of these memories, and memory stronger was observed in the separate group in appetitive task within, the parameters studied here.