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Rhinal cortex ablations fail to disrupt reinforcer devaluation effects in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)
J A Thornton1, L Malkova, E A Murray
1Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4415, USA.
Behavioral Neuroscience
|September 11, 1998
Summary
The rhinal cortex is not critical for learning about object values. Studies show rhinal cortex removals in monkeys do not affect reinforcer devaluation, unlike amygdala lesions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Background:
- Excitotoxic lesions of the amygdala impair reinforcer devaluation effects in rodents and primates.
- The rhinal cortex, with its connections to the amygdala, is hypothesized to store object knowledge and be involved in learning object-associated values.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the rhinal cortex in the neural circuitry underlying learning about object-associated reinforcement value.
Main Methods:
- Rhesus monkeys underwent rhinal cortex removals or served as unoperated controls.
- A reinforcer devaluation procedure was employed to assess learning about object-food associations.
Main Results:
- Monkeys with rhinal cortex removals, similar to controls, avoided displacing objects associated with devalued food.
- This behavior contrasts with findings in animals with amygdala lesions, suggesting a different neural mechanism.
Conclusions:
- The rhinal cortex is not essential for mediating the effects of reinforcer devaluation.
- These findings differentiate the functional role of the rhinal cortex from the amygdala in value-based learning.
