Abstract
The performance of rats with bilateral lesions of the nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) was compared with that of sham-lesioned rats using 3 avoidance and 2 appetitive learning paradigms. LC lesions which significantly reduced cortical norepinephrine produced no deficits in learning one-way active or passive shock avoidance responses, nor in acquisition or extinction of a conditioned taste aversion, nor in acquisition of a bar press response for food reinforcement, but did produce impairments in running for food in an L-shaped runway. The runway deficit could not be related to motor difficulties or differences in activity between the two groups. Although locus coeruleus lesions interfere with performance in a runway task they do not produce a general impairment in learning.
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