Partial callosotomy and left-right response differentiation in the rat: separate anterior and posterior facilitatory effects.

Earlier research demonstrated that complete section of the corpus callosum in the rat reduced the number of trials required to acquire a left-right response differentiation (LRRD). This study was designed to investigate whether the facilitatory effect on LRRD could be produced by section of an anatomical subdivision of the callosum. Rats with sections of the anterior or posterior corpus callosum mastered the LRRD task faster than sham subjects, but more slowly than rats with total callosal section; section of the middle portion of the callosum had no such effect. The partial facilitatory effects of anterior and posterior callosotomy appear to be independent, and suggest that the callosal intermixing of lateral information, which contributes to left-right confusion, occurs at both the sensory and motor levels of processing.