Alterations in sequential behavior of rats following ablation of midline limbic cortex.

Abstract

TO INVESTIGATE EFFECTS OF ABLATING ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR LIMBIC CORTEX ON SEQUENTIAL BEHAVIOR, RATS WERE TRAINED TO MAKE A SEQUENCE OF LEVER PRESSES TO OBTAIN FOOD REWARDS. LESIONS WERE MADE AFTER TRAINING TO EVALUATE EFFECTS ON RETENTION. CONTROLS WERE NEOCORTICAL LESIONED AND OPERATED, UNLESIONED SS. ABLATION OF ANTERIOR LIMBIC CORTEX SEVERELY IMPAIRED PERFORMANCE ON 2- AND 4-LEVER SEQUENCES, AND ENHANCED BOTH SEQUENTIAL AND PERSEVERATIVE ERROR TENDENCIES. WHEN VISUAL STIMULI CUED THE CORRECT SEQUENCE, LESIONS ENHANCED ONLY PERSEVERATIVE ERRORS. POSTERIOR LIMBIC AND NEOCORTICAL LESIONS DID NOT IMPAIR PERFORMANCE ON CUED OR NONCUED 4-LEVER SEQUENCES. THE RESULTS SUPPORT THE HYPOTHESIS THAT LIMBIC CORTEX ABLATIONS INTERFERE WITH TEMPORAL INTEGRATION OF BEHAVIOR SEQUENCES. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)