title: The effects of nucleus basalis magnocellularis lesions in Long-Evans hooded rats on two learning set formation tasks, delayed matching-to-sample learning, and open-field activity.
abstract: Rats with quisqualic acid lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (nBM) and control rats were compared in discrimination reversal learning set (DRLS) and olfactory discrimination learning set (ODLS) tasks, a delayed matching-to-sample task (DMTS), and open-field activity. Evidence of learning set formation was seen in control rats but not in nBM-lesioned rats in both the DRLS and ODLS tasks. Better-than-chance performances were seen for both groups in DMTS, indicating no impairment after nBM lesions. There were no group differences in open-field activity. These findings suggest that the nBM is important for higher cognitive processing such as "learning to learn" and thus is important for a complex form of reference memory. In addition, perseverational, working memory, and attentional deficits could not explain learning set impairment after nBM lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's City 20686, USA. ambailey@osprey.smcm.edu
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D020532:Basal Nucleus of Meynert / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D012193:Reversal Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*