McGaughy J, Kaiser T, Sarter M
Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA.
Behav Neurosci. 1996 Apr;110(2):247-65. doi: 10.1037//0735-7044.110.2.247.
Rats were trained in a previously validated behavioral vigilance task that required them to detect visual signals of variable length and to discriminate signal from nonsignal events. Baseline performance was characterized by a signal length-dependent ability to score hits, a decline in hits over time, and a correct rejection rate of approximately 70%. After the rats reached criterion performance in this task, the immunotoxin 192 IgG-saporin or its vehicle was infused into the area of the nucleus basalis/substantia innominata of the basal forebrain. Postoperative performance in lesioned rats was characterized by a decrease in their ability to detect signals while their ability to correctly reject nonsignals remained unaffected. The effect of the lesion did not recover in the course of over 180 sessions of postlesion testing. The overall performance of the rats correlated with acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-positive fiber density in all cortical areas measured except the cingulate and pyriform cortex. These findings help to elucidate the nature of the attentional impairments resulting from the loss of cortical cholinergic inputs.
大鼠在先前验证过的行为警觉任务中接受训练，该任务要求它们检测不同长度的视觉信号，并区分信号与非信号事件。基线表现的特征是具有与信号长度相关的命中得分能力、随着时间推移命中次数下降以及约70%的正确拒斥率。在大鼠达到该任务的标准表现后，将免疫毒素192 IgG-皂草素或其载体注入基底前脑的基底核/无名质区域。损伤大鼠术后的表现特征是其检测信号的能力下降，而正确拒斥非信号的能力未受影响。在损伤后测试的180多个实验阶段中，损伤的影响并未恢复。除扣带回和梨状皮层外，所测量的所有皮质区域中，大鼠的整体表现与乙酰胆碱酯酶（AChE）阳性纤维密度相关。这些发现有助于阐明因皮质胆碱能输入丧失而导致的注意力损伤的性质。
