Effects of hippocampal lesions on spatial operant discrimination in pigeons

• Published in: Behavioural brain research Vol. 103; no. 1; pp. 77 - 84
• Main Author: Watanabe, Shigeru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier B.V 01.08.1999; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Anatomical correlates of behavior; Animals; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Color Perception - physiology; Columbidae; Discrimination; Discrimination (Psychology) - physiology; Discrimination Learning - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hippocampus; Hippocampus - anatomy & histology; Hippocampus - physiology; Maze Learning - physiology; Pigeon; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Space life sciences; Space Perception - physiology; Spatial memory; Stereotaxic Techniques; Discrimination; Pigeon; Hippocampus; Spatial memory; Memory; Central nervous system; Color; Cognition; Space perception; Discrimination task; Vertebrata; Visual stimulus; Acquisition process; Animal; Perception; Lesion; Aves; Perceptive learning; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0166-4328; 1872-7549
• DOI: 10.1016/S0166-4328(99)00028-5

In experiment 1, pigeons were trained on spatial or color autodiscrimination. Presentation of one of two keys or one of two colors was followed by food presentation. However, the other side of the keys or the other color was not. The hippocampal lesions disturbed the acquisition of spatial discrimination but not of color discrimination. In experiment 2, pigeons were preoperatively trained the spatial autodiscrimination, then received the hippocampal lesions. The subjects maintained the discrimination. These results suggest that the avian hippocampus plays a crucial role in acquisition of spatial discrimination.