Impaired learning of a color reversal task after NMDA receptor blockade in the pigeon (Columba livia) associative forebrain (neostriatum caudolaterale).
The neostriatum caudolaterale (NCL) in the pigeon (Columba livia) forebrain is a multisensory associative area and a functional equivalent to the mammalian prefrontal cortex (PFC). To investigate the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the NCL for learning flexibility, the authors trained pigeons in a color reversal task while locally blocking NMDA receptors with D,L-2-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (AP-5). Controls received saline injections. AP-5-treated pigeons made significantly more errors and showed significantly stronger perseveration in a learning strategy applied by both groups but were unimpaired in initial learning. Results indicate that NMDA receptors in the NCL are necessary for efficient performance in this PFC-sensitive task, and that they are involved in extinction of obsolete information rather than in acquiring new information.
Lissek
S
S
Fakultät für Psychologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany. silke.lissek@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Diekamp
B
B
Güntürkün
O
O
D000818:Animals; D003118:Color Perception; D010856:Columbidae; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000502:physiology*; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000502:physiology*
D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate