Spatial Learning and Memory Deficits After Telencephalic Ablation in Goldfish Trained in Place and Turn Maze Procedures

• Published in: Behavioral neuroscience 1996-10, Vol.110 (5), p.965-980
• Main Authors: Salas, Cosme, Vargas, Juan Pedro, Durán, Emilio, Torres, Blas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anatomical correlates of behavior; Animal; Animal cognition; Animals; Attention - physiology; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Mapping; Carassius auratus; Cerebrum; Dominance, Cerebral - physiology; Fish; Fishes; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Goldfish - physiology; Learning; Lesions; Maze Learning; Maze Learning - physiology; Memory; Mental Recall - physiology; Orientation - physiology; Place Conditioning; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Retention (Psychology) - physiology; Spatial Learning; Spatial Memory; Telencephalon - physiology; Transfer (Psychology)
• ISSN: 0735-7044; 1939-0084
• DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.110.5.965

The present work investigated whether the fish telencephalon is involved in spatial learning based on place strategies in a manner similar to mammalian hippocampus. Goldfish were trained in a 4-arm maze in a room with relevant spatial cues. Sham and to-be-ablated subjects were trained in each of 4 experimental procedures designed as follows: place, turn, place-turn, and control. After acquisition, complete ablations of both telencephalic hemispheres for the experimental groups were carried out. The results showed that ablation exclusively impaired performance in animals using place strategies; in these, accuracy fell to chance level during both postsurgery retraining and reversal periods. In the other groups, ablation of the telencephalon did not induce any significant deficit. These results suggest that the fish telencephalon plays a crucial role in complex place learning.