Habituation is a process by which organisms come to show reduced response to a stimulus as a function of repeated stimulation. Once habituation has taken place, the response remains low over a period of time, suggesting that the organisms remembers that this stimulus is the same one it is has encountered previously. Thus, habituation is a simple form of learning. This award to Dr. Alice Powers will investigate the neural basis of the blink reflex and habituation of that reflex. First the anatomy and physiology of the reflex will be examined. Then a study will be conducted investigating whether the interval between consecutive stimuli affects habituation of the blink reflex. These studies will provide the basis for further work investigating the brain mechanisms of habituation and will contribute to understanding of the way in which the brain mediates learning.***t//
