Perirhinal cortex lesions impair simultaneous but not serial feature-positive discrimination learning

Behav Neurosci. 2006 Aug;120(4):970-5. doi: 10.1037/0735-7044.120.4.970.

Abstract

The role of the perirhinal cortex in discriminative eyeblink conditioning was examined by means of feature-positive discrimination procedures with simultaneous (A-/XA+) and serial (A-/X-->A+) stimulus compounds. Lesions of the perirhinal cortex severely impaired acquisition of simultaneous feature-positive discrimination but produced no impairment in serial feature-positive discrimination. The results suggest that the perirhinal cortex plays a role in discriminative eyeblink conditioning by resolving ambiguity in discriminations with overlapping stimulus elements.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain Injuries / complications
  • Conditioning, Psychological / physiology
  • Discrimination Learning / physiology*
  • Entorhinal Cortex / pathology
  • Entorhinal Cortex / physiopathology*
  • Learning Disabilities / etiology
  • Learning Disabilities / pathology*
  • Male
  • Rats
  • Rats, Long-Evans
  • Serial Learning / physiology*