Improvement of learned behavior through cholinergic stimulation of the caudate nucleus

To test the hypothesis that cholinergic activity of the head of the caudate nucleus (CN) is involved in the processes underlying instrumental performance, the effects of microinjections of several doses of choline into this structure on lever pressing behavior were assessed. A dose-dependent modific...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNeuroscience letters Vol. 14; no. 2-3; p. 253
Main Authors Prado-Alcalà, R A, Cobos-Zapiaín, G G
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ireland 01.10.1979
Subjects
Acetylcholine - pharmacology
Acetylcholine - physiology
Animals
Brain Mapping
Cats
Caudate Nucleus - drug effects
Caudate Nucleus - physiology
Choline - pharmacology
Conditioning, Operant - drug effects
Conditioning, Operant - physiology
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Parietal Lobe - drug effects
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Summary:To test the hypothesis that cholinergic activity of the head of the caudate nucleus (CN) is involved in the processes underlying instrumental performance, the effects of microinjections of several doses of choline into this structure on lever pressing behavior were assessed. A dose-dependent modification of performance was found: small doses improve and large doses impair level pressing, while choline applications into the parietal cortex were without effect. The facilitatory effects were reproduced by microinjections of acetylcholine into the CN. These data further support our working hypothesis.
ISSN:0304-3940
DOI:10.1016/0304-3940(79)96157-3