Involvement of rodent prefrontal cortex subregions in strategy switching.

The present study examined whether inactivation of the prelimbic–infralimbic areas or the dorsal anterior cingulate area impairs strategy switching in the cheeseboard task. After implantation of a cannula aimed at either the prelimbic–infralimbic or dorsal anterior cingulate areas, all rats were tested in a spatial and a visual-cued version of the task. Some of the rats received the spatial version first, followed by the visual-cued version. The procedure for the other rats was reversed. Infusions of 2% tetracaine into the prelimbic–infralimbic or dorsal anterior cingulate areas did not impair acquisition of the spatial or visual-cued versions. However, inactivation of the prelimbic–infralimbic areas, but not the dorsal anterior cingulate area, impaired learning when rats were switched from one version to the other. These findings suggest that the prelimbic–infralimbic areas are involved in switching to new behavior-guiding strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)