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Odor tracking in rats with orbital frontal lesions
Douglas G Wallace1, Bryan Kolb, Ian Q Whishaw
1Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada. douglas.wallace@uleth.ca
Behavioral Neuroscience
|June 14, 2003
Summary
Rats can still navigate using odors even after damage to the orbital frontal cortex. This suggests other brain regions compensate for this olfactory processing area.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Olfactory Processing
Background:
- The orbital frontal cortex is known to be involved in olfactory behaviors.
- Its role in species-typical behaviors like odor-guided navigation remains unstudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the orbital frontal cortex in odor-guided navigation in rats.
- To determine if damage to this brain region impairs the ability to track and discriminate odors.
Main Methods:
- Rats were trained to track and discriminate between three different odors.
- Bilateral aspiration lesions of the orbital frontal cortex were performed.
- Post-lesion performance on the odor tracking and discrimination tasks was assessed.
Main Results:
- Rats successfully learned to track and discriminate between different odors before and after orbital frontal cortex lesions.
- The ability to perform odor-guided navigation was preserved despite the damage.
Conclusions:
- The orbital frontal cortex is not essential for odor-guided navigation in rats.
- Other brain areas can mediate this behavior following damage to the orbital frontal cortex.