Localization of the “maze memory system” in the white rat

Abstract

Adult albino rats, previously trained on a three-cul maze, sustained bilateral cortical or subcortical lesions and were subsequently tested for retention. Those animals showing defective retention suffered damage to either the anterior neocortex, posterior neocortex, cingulate cortex, corpus striatum, hippocampus, septofornix area, thalamus (anterior, lateral, ventromedial, or posterior divisions), posterolateral hypothalamus, mamillary bodies, subthalamus, red nucleus, substantia nigra, central tegmentum, ventral portions of the brainstem reticular formation, or the cerebellum. Excellent retention was observed following damage to either the amygdaloid complex, rostral medial forebrain bundle, dorsomedial thalamus, or dorsal midbrain. These results, coupled with earlier findings, suggest that the maze habit is dependent upon the activities of three functional blocks of the brain: the first block (brainstem reticular formation) has integrative functions, the second block (sensorimotor cortex, cingulate cortex, cerebellum, and thalamus) has kinesthetic functions, and the third block (occipital cortex, hippocampus, septofornix area, and mamillary bodies) plays a role in the discrimination of spatial cues.