Dimensions of discrimination and level of cholinesterase activity in the cerebral cortex of the rat.

Abstract

Fifty-three male hooded rats were tested in the Krech hypothesis apparatus under the progressively solvable training procedure. After behavioral testing, the rats were sacrificed and determinations were made of their level of cholinesterase (ChE) activity in the somesthetic and visual areas of the cerebral cortex. The results demonstrated that the behavioral Preference Score in the maze and the ChE activity are correlated. In addition it appeared that animals high and low in ChE activity differ in ability to shift their discrimination in the maze from one sensory modality to another. High ChE activity level is associated with an ability to maintain a probabilistic response pattern, while low ChE activity is associated with a more thorough commitment to the dominant stimulus.