Excitotoxic Lesions of the Amygdala Fail to Produce Impairment in Visual Learning for Auditory Secondary Reinforcement But Interfere with Reinforcer Devaluation Effects in Rhesus Monkeys

摘要: Aspiration lesions of the amygdala were found previously to produce a severe impairment in visual discrimination learning for auditory secondary reinforcement rhesus monkeys (Gaffan and Harrison, 1987). To determine whether excitotoxic would also this effect, we trained four naive on same task. The required learn 40 new problems per session situation which choices guided by an reinforcer that had been associated with food reward. Bilateral no effect rate reinforcement. We tested amygdalectomized devaluation task compared their performance group three normal monkeys. first learned discriminate 60 pairs objects, baited two different rewards. Each rewards was then devalued selective satiation separate experimental sessions. Normal controls tended avoid displacing objects covered significantly greater degree than did monkeys, indicating damage interfered effects. Our results are consistent idea is necessary association between stimuli value particular rewards; however, not maintaining reinforcers, once they have learned.