Hippocampal lesions impair navigational learning in experienced homing pigeons.
Adult experienced homing pigeons from Maryland were subjected to hippocampal lesion and then transferred to a new loft in Ohio to examine what effect such treatment may have on learning to navigate to a new home loft. When subsequently released from an unfamiliar site, the hippocampal lesioned birds were impaired in taking up a vanishing bearing toward their new Ohio loft. This deficit is interpreted as an impairment in hippocampal-lesioned birds learning a new navigational map. Together with a previous study, the results suggest that an intact hippocampus is necessary if young naive or adult experienced homing pigeons are to learn a navigational map.
Bingman
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VP
Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Ohio 43403-0228.
Yates
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G
D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D010856:Columbidae / Q000502:physiology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D006702:Homing Behavior; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology