The effect of limbic damage on the retention and performance of a runway response

Abstract

Rats were trained to run a linear runway while hungry for food. Then they were tested for retention, continued performance levels, and extinction after recovery from bilateral damage of the hippocampus, the septal area, or the posterolateral neocortex. Retention losses were observed in animals which had hippocampal or neocortical destruction. Slower running speeds were found in animals with hippocampal destruction, while the running speeds of animals with septal area damage increased. Animals with hippocampal destruction and with septal area damage showed greater resistance to extinction than other groups of animals.