title: Photothrombotic lesions of the frontal cortex impair the performance of the delayed non-matching to position task by rats.
abstract: The effects of photochemically induced lesions of the frontal cortex on the short-term memory capacity of the rat have been investigated using the delayed non-matching to position task. Pretrained animals received lesions and were tested 4 days after surgery and twice per week for 3 weeks. The lesions produced a profound impairment of performance of this task which was still evident 3 weeks after surgery. Spontaneous locomotor activity was recorded 7 days after surgery and no difference was found between the control and lesion group. These effects indicated a generalized disruption of performance of this task in the absence of motor dysfunction. These results suggest that photothrombotic lesions of the frontal cortex can produce reliable, long-term behavioural deficits.
authors.affiliation: SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, Harlow, UK.
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reavill
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Rothaul
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hunter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D051381:Rats; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000523:psychology*