Effects of light deprivation on recovery from neglect and extinction induced by unilateral lesions of the medial agranular cortex and dorsocentral striatum

A number of previous studies have indicated that an environmental manipulation, 48 h of light deprivation (LD), produces virtually complete and permanent behavioral recovery of function from neglect induced by medial agranular cortex (AGm) lesions. LD-induced behavioral recovery from neglect is correlated with physiological changes in the dorsolateral striatum, an area that contains the projection zone of AGm efferents in the dorsocentral striatum (DCS). In this study, the behavioral effects of 48 h of LD on subjects with either unilateral DCS, AGm, or combined AGm/DCS lesions were investigated to examine whether the integrity of the DCS is crucial for behavioral recovery from neglect and whether LD will have a therapeutic effect on extinction deficits. Subjects were tested for extinction to bilateral simultaneous stimulation of the forepaws, and visual, auditory and tactile neglect. Forty-eight hours of LD failed to produce behavioral recovery from neglect in rats with DCS lesions, or a therapeutic affect on extinction deficits in any of the groups. The results of this study further support the crucial role of the DCS in recovery from neglect induced by AGm lesions and suggests that the DCS may be the crucial site for the mechanisms leading to LD-induced recovery. Further, the ineffectiveness of LD on extinction suggests that components of the neglect syndrome are dissociable and may require different therapeutic interventions.