Participation of thalamic nuclei in the elaboration of conditioned avoidance reflexes of rats. VI. Lesions of the nucleus lateralis anterior.
Bilateral lesions of the nucleus lateralis anterior thalami (LA) did not change sensory or motor functions of hooded rats. Postoperative retention of conditioned avoidance response (CAR) preoperatively learnt in a jumping test, was decreased insignificantly, relearning slowed somewhat down, the variance of individual reaction times (CAR latencies) increased. Postoperative acquisition of CAR revealed some uncertainty and delay, but criterion was reached. Preoperative experience influenced the type of errors in a discrimination task (go/no go): After preoperative acquisition of CAR go-responses, after postoperative acquisition of CAR no-go-responses dominated. In these experiments the memory processes may be influenced by changes of some limbic regulatory processes in which LA plays a role.
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*