Effects of combined entorhinal cortex-hippocampal lesions on locomotor behavior, spontaneous alternation and spatial maze learning in the rat
Kimble, D.P.
Physiology and Behavior 21(2): 177-187
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0031-9384
PMID: 693644
Accession: 005296657
Male Sprague-Dawley rats with combined lesions to the dorsal and lateral aspects of the entorhinal cortex in 1 hemisphere and of the contralateral dorsolateral hippocampal formation were compared with both operated and unoperated controls on 3 different behaviors, monitored across a 53-day postoperative period. The rats with the combined entorhinal cortex-hippocampal lesions (EH) showed transient hyperactivity in the open field, transient reduction in spontaneous alternation levels in an unbaited T-maze and persistent deficits in learning spatial maze problems. The results of the present experiment are discussed in comparison with those from experiments on rats with bilateral hippocampal lesions and those from experiments on rats with bilateral entorhinal cortex lesions. Although some similarities among these findings suggest that these 2 brain regions probably function in a coordinated fashion with respect to these behaviors, differences in the various syndromes are also discussed.