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Mediodorsal thalamus is critical for updating during extradimensional shifts but not reversals in the attentional set-shifting task

Abstract:
Cognitive flexibility, attributed to frontal cortex, is vital for navigating the complexities of everyday life. The mediodorsal thalamus (MD), interconnected to frontal cortex, may influence cognitive flexibility. Here, male rats performed an attentional set-shifting task measuring intradimensional (ID) and extradimensional (ED) shifts in sensory discriminations. MD lesion rats needed more trials to learn the rewarded sensory dimension. However, once the choice response strategy was established, learning further two-choice discriminations in the same sensory dimension, and reversals of the reward contingencies in the same dimension, were unimpaired. Critically though, MD lesion rats were impaired during the ED shift, when they must rapidly update the optimal choice response strategy. Behavioral analyses showed MD lesion rats had significantly reduced correct within-trial second choice responses. This evidence shows that transfer of information via the MD is critical when rapid within-trial updates in established choice response strategies are required after a rule change.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1523/eneuro.0162-21.2022

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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
Experimental Psychology
Oxford college:
Magdalen College
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-8996-1067


Publisher:
Society for Neuroscience
Journal:
eNeuro More from this journal
Volume:
9
Issue:
2
Publication date:
2022-02-01
Acceptance date:
2022-01-11
DOI:
EISSN:
2373-2822


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1237311
Local pid:
pubs:1237311
Deposit date:
2022-02-02

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