Removal of Cholinergic Input to Rat Posterior Parietal Cortex Disrupts Incremental Processing of Conditioned Stimuli

摘要: Recent research suggests that the basal forebrain cholinergic neurons innervating cortex play a role in attentional functions both primates and rodents. Among cortical targets of these projections is posterior parietal (PPC), region shown to be critically involved regulation attention. anatomical studies have defined rat may homologous PPC primates. In present study, innervation was depleted by intracortical infusion immunotoxin 192 IgG-saporin. Control lesioned rats were then tested two associative learning paradigms designed increase processing conditioned stimuli (CSs). one experiment, attention manipulated shifting predictive relation between light CS another less relation. Unlike control rats, failed when modified. second tone increased its introduction during training coincided with change value unconditioned stimulus, phenomenon referred as unblocking. exhibit paradigms, normally procedures did not encourage processing. These findings, across different behavioral stimulus modalities, provide converging evidence intact important for changes can certain cues.