Wissenschaftler haben einen grundlegenden Konflikt in der Art und Weise entdeckt, wie das Gehirn lernt und Erinnerungen bildet, und stellen damit lang gehegte Annahmen über klassische und operante Konditionierung in Frage. Diese beiden Lernsysteme können nicht gleichzeitig funktionieren, da sie um die Vorherrschaft im Gehirn konkurrieren

>Classical conditioning, famously demonstrated by Pavlov’s dogs, involves forming passive associations between stimuli—like linking the sound of a bell with the anticipation of food. Operant conditioning, by contrast, is an active process where behaviors are reinforced by rewards or consequences. For decades, scientists assumed these systems could work in tandem, but the new research reveals a far more complex dynamic.

>In the experiment, flies were trained to associate a particular smell with an electric shock using both classical and operant conditioning methods. Under classical conditioning, the flies froze in response to the smell, while under operant conditioning, they learned to flee. However, when both conditioning methods were applied simultaneously, the flies exhibited neither behavior. Instead, they appeared confused, unable to learn either response effectively.

>The researchers identified neural mechanisms responsible for this prioritization, focusing on the brain’s ‘navigation center,’ which acts as a gatekeeper, ensuring only one type of memory takes precedence.

Paper: [Neuronal circuit mechanisms of competitive interaction between action-based and coincidence learning | Science Advances](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adq3016)