Disconnection of the amygdala central nucleus and the substantia innominata/nucleus basalis magnocellularis disrupts performance in a sustained attention task.

Full Abstract

The basal forebrain cholinergic system is broadly implicated in the regulation of attention. Disruptions in the function of this system produce impairments in many attentional functions, including the performance of well-learned responses under increased attentional load and the surprise-induced enhancement of learning rate. Similarly, lesions of the amygdala central nucleus (CeA) have been found to impair attentional function in some circumstances. In the present article, the effects of lesions that disconnected CeA from the cholinergic substantia innominata/nucleus basalis magnocellularis (SI/nBM) on performance are examined in a modified 5-choice serial reaction time (5CSRT) task, thought to assess selective or sustained attention. The lesions impaired performance under conditions of increased attentional load, suggesting that a circuit that includes CeA and SI/nBM regulates these aspects of attention.Copyright (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

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Author information

Author/s: Holland, Peter C (PC);

Affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. pch(-atsign-)jhu.edu

Grants: R37 MH053667-12A1 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Behavioral neuroscience (Behav Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Feb; vol 121 (issue 1) : pp 80-9

Dates: Created 2007/02/27; Completed 2007/04/05; Revised 2008/11/20;

PMID: 17324052, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Amygdala - physiology
Animals
Association Learning - physiology
Attention - physiology
Basal Nucleus of Meynert - physiology
Choice Behavior - physiology
Cues
Functional Laterality

Functional Laterality
Male
Neural Pathways - physiology
Rats
Rats, Long-Evans
Reaction Time - physiology
Substantia Innominata - physiology
Time Factors

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