Psychology ETDs

James Rice

Publication Date

2-8-2011

Abstract

The hippocampus and dorsolateral striatum have been found to be critical for spatial navigation based on distal and local cues, respectively. Previous reports from our laboratory have indicated that behavior in the Morris water task may be guided by both cue types, and that rats appear to switch from distal to local cues in a sequential manner within a given trial. In two experiments rats with hippocampal or dorsolateral striatal lesions were trained and tested in water task paradigms that involved translations or removal of the cued platform within the pool or translations of the pool itself with respect to the distal reference frame. Results show that the hippocampus is critical for orienting to distal cues at the beginning of the trial, while the dorsolateral striatum is critical for terminal swim segments based on the location of the cued platform. In addition, results also support the theory that the hippocampus, but not the dorsolateral striatum, is critical for directional responding. These results are important for understanding the cooperative interactions between these brain regions involved in learning and memory.

Degree Name

Psychology

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Psychology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Hamilton, Derek

Second Committee Member

Yeo, Ron

Third Committee Member

Wallace, Doug

Language

English

Keywords

Morris water task, hippocampus, striatum, learning and memory, neurobiology

Document Type

Thesis

Download

Share

COinS