Ioannidou, ChristinaBusquets Garcia, Arnau, 1985-Ferreira, GuillaumeMarsicano, Giovanni2022-06-072022-06-072021Ioannidou C, Busquets-Garcia A, Ferreira G, Marsicano G. Neural substrates of incidental associations and mediated learning: the role of cannabinoid receptors. Front Behav Neurosci. 2021 Aug 6; 15: 722796. DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.7227961662-5153http://hdl.handle.net/10230/53393The ability to form associations between different stimuli in the environment to guide adaptive behavior is a central element of learning processes, from perceptual learning in humans to Pavlovian conditioning in animals. Like so, classical conditioning paradigms that test direct associations between low salience sensory stimuli and high salience motivational reinforcers are extremely informative. However, a large part of everyday learning cannot be solely explained by direct conditioning mechanisms - this includes to a great extent associations between individual sensory stimuli, carrying low or null immediate motivational value. This type of associative learning is often described as incidental learning and can be captured in animal models through sensory preconditioning procedures. Here we summarize the evolution of research on incidental and mediated learning, overview the brain systems involved and describe evidence for the role of cannabinoid receptors in such higher-order learning tasks. This evidence favors a number of contemporary hypotheses concerning the participation of the endocannabinoid system in psychosis and psychotic experiences and provides a conceptual framework for understanding how the use of cannabinoid drugs can lead to altered perceptive states.application/pdfengCopyright © 2021 Ioannidou, Busquets-Garcia, Ferreira and Marsicano. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.722796CB1EndocannabinoidsHigher-order conditioningIncidental associationsIncidental learningMediated learningSensory preconditioninginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess