title: Intact spatial learning following lesions of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons.
abstract: The role of the basal forebrain cholinergic system in learning and memory has held considerable interest since the discovery of cholinergic neurodegeneration in the basal forebrain in Alzheimer's disease. Contrary to expectation, selective removal of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons projecting to either hippocampus or neocortex fails to impair learning in a spatial task widely used to study hippocampal/cortical function. If cholinergic neurons contribute to learning and memory by integrated regulation of hippocampal and cortical processing, combined removal of hippocampal and cortical cholinergic projections might be necessary to produce impairment. However, this combined lesion failed to impair spatial learning. These data argue against the view that basal forebrain cholinergic deficiency plays a prominent role in disorders of learning and memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599, USA.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Baxter
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Bucci
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Sobel
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Gorman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gallagher
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000032:analysis; D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D003463:Cues; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D000922:Immunotoxins; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D054789:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1; D000076985:Saporins; D013377:Substantia Innominata / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C085696:192 IgG-saporin; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D000922:Immunotoxins; D054789:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D000076985:Saporins; D000109:Acetylcholine