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Relearning a dark-light discrimination by cats after cortical and collicular lesions

1968; Elsevier BV; Volume: 20; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0014-4886(68)90075-7

1090-2430

John C. Urbaitis, Thomas H. Meikle,

Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies

Using a continuous type Y maze, cats were trained preoperatively in a simultaneous, two-choice dark-light discrimination with the darker stimulus reinforced with food. Bilateral ablation of the superior colliculi produced no or minimal postoperative deficits. After prior serial removal of the posterior two-thirds of the neocortex, bilateral ablation of the superior colliculi produced a significant retention deficit. Cats with serial, bilateral removal of the posterior two-thirds of the neocortex and the superior colliculi consistently relearned the simple dark-light discrimination regardless of whether collicular ablation preceded or followed the cortical lesions. Immobilization and dilatation of the pupils with atropine produced no performance decrement in cats retrained in this discrimination after prior cortical and collicular ablations. These results suggest that visual input to the pretectum can mediate a simple dark-light discrimination by cats after the described lesions.