Influence of the varieties of differentiation training and prefrontal lesions on retention and reversal learning of avoidance responding in dogs.

The postoperative retention and reversal of go, no-go avoidance reflex differentiation with symmetrical and asymmetrical reinforcement were studied in dogs with prefrontal lesions and unoperated controls. The general pattern of the influence of such experimental variables as type of differentiation task an,d quality and arrangement of conditioned stimuli' was similar to that oberved preoperatively. However, prefrontal surgery changed the interactions between these experimental variables. The modifying role of the medial and the lateral parts of prefrontal cortex on the retention of differentiation and on reversal learning is discussed.