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The role of medial prefrontal cortex in context-specific inhibition during reversal learning of a visual discrimination

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Abstract

Rats with medial prefrontal cortex or sham lesions were trained on a visual discrimination task designed for the eight-arm radial maze. After reaching asymptotic performance on this task, both groups were divided into sub-groups that would experience reversal learning in the same or different context from original training. The results showed that both groups reversed in the different context had accelerated learning compared to the groups reversed in the same context. Reversal learning in rats with medial prefrontal cortex damage was faster than sham animals in the same context. These and other results from a transfer test suggest that the medial prefrontal cortex participates in the behavioral effects of a context-specific inhibitory association acquired during visual discrimination learning.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Robert McDonald is currently a Canada Research Chair. This research was supported by grants awarded to RJM from the Canadian Stroke Network and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. We would like to thank Dr. Bryan Kolb for sharing his expertise on the anatomy of the rat prefrontal cortex.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4

    R. J. McDonald & N. S. Hong

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    N. Foong, C. Ray & Z. Rizos

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  1. R. J. McDonald
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  2. N. Foong
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  3. C. Ray
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  4. Z. Rizos
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  5. N. S. Hong
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Correspondence to R. J. McDonald.

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McDonald, R.J., Foong, N., Ray, C. et al. The role of medial prefrontal cortex in context-specific inhibition during reversal learning of a visual discrimination. Exp Brain Res 177, 509–519 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-006-0699-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-006-0699-9

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