Psychopharmacologia

, Volume 23, Issue 4, pp 348–356 | Cite as

Effects of atropine sulphate on repeated extinction performance in hippocampectomized rats

  • David M. Warburton
Animal Studies

Abstract

Hippocampectomized and partially neodecorticated rats were trained on repeated extinction until similar baselines were obtained. Identical doses of atropine sulphate were administered to each group and the dose-response curves compared. The partially neodecorticated rats showed a marked increase in responding during the extinction periods and the magnitude of the effect increased with dose as in intact animals. The hippocampectomized animals showed little change in responding with any dose. The attenuation of the dose-response effect, in conjunction with other evidence, was consistent with the hypothesis of a second system which mediates response control in the hippocampectomised animals and is not cholinosensitive.

Key words

Atropine Sulphate Repeated Extinction Cholinergic System Hippocampus Stimulus Selection 

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Clark, C. V. H.: Effect of hippocampal and neocortical ablation on scopolamineinduced activity in the rat. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 17, 289–301 (1970).Google Scholar
  2. Douglas, R. J., Pribram, K. H.: Learning and limbic lesions. Neuropsychologia 4, 197–220 (1966).Google Scholar
  3. —: The hippocampus and behaviour. Psychol. Bull. 67, 416–442 (1967).Google Scholar
  4. Heise, G. A., Laughlin, N., Keller, C.: A behavioural and pharmacological analysis of reinforcement withdrawal. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 16, 345–368 (1970).Google Scholar
  5. Isaacson, R. L., Douglas, R. J., Moores, R. Y.: The effect of radical hippocampal ablation on the acquisition of an avoidance response. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 54, 625–628 (1961).Google Scholar
  6. Lucas, H. L.: Extra-period latin square change-over designs. J. Dairy. Sci. 40, 225–239 (1957).Google Scholar
  7. Martin, W. R.: Pharmacological redundancy as an adaptive mechanism in the central nervous system. Fed. Proc. 29, 13–18 (1970).Google Scholar
  8. Niki, H.: The effects of hippocampal ablation on the inhibitory control of operant behaviour in the rat. Jap. psychol. Res. 7, 126–137 (1965).Google Scholar
  9. Russell, R. W., Warburton, D. M.: Biochemical bases of behaviour. In: B. Wolman, ed.: Handbook of general psychology. New York: Prentice-Hall 1971.Google Scholar
  10. Schmaltz, L., Isaacson, R. L.: The effects of preliminary training conditions under DRL performance in the hippocampectomized rat. Physiol. Behav. 1, 175–182 (1966).Google Scholar
  11. Siegel, S.: Non parametric statistics for the behavioural sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill 1956.Google Scholar
  12. Stone, G. C.: Effects of drugs on non-discriminated avoidance behavior, I. Individual differences in dose-response relationships. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 6, 245–255 (1964).Google Scholar
  13. Warburton, D. M.: Effects of atropine sulphate on single alternation in hippocampectomised rats. Physiol. Behav. 4, 641–644 (1969).Google Scholar
  14. —: The cholinergic control of internal inhibition. In: R. Boakes and M. S. Halliday: Inhibition and learning. London: Academic Press 1972.Google Scholar
  15. —, Brown, K.: Scopolamine-induced attentuation of stimulus sensitivity. Nature (Lond.) 230, 126–127 (1971).Google Scholar
  16. —, Russell, R. W.: Some behavioural effects of cholinergic stimulation in the hippocampus. Life Sci. 8, 617–628 (1969).Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1972

Authors and Affiliations

  • David M. Warburton
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of PsychologyUniversity of ReadingEngland

Personalised recommendations