HIPPOCAMPAL LESIONS AND CARDIAC COMPONENT OF ORIENTING RESPONSE IN RAT

Investigated effects of hippocampal lesions on orienting responses (ORs) in 30 male Long-Evans hooded rats during performance of an ongoing discriminative response and also while Ss were satiated and no experimentally acquired response was being performed. Although Ss with hippocampal lesions did not orient to the initial presentations of novel stimuli while performing the dominant discrimination habit and were less behaviorally distracted, they showed ORs and OR habituation equivalent to the controls in the absence of a prepotent ongoing response. Findings are consistent with either of 2 versions of an attention-shift model of hippocampal function. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.