Figure 3. Summary of performance on linear track task.

Plotted in each panel is a measure of linear track behavior before surgery (Pre) and after recovery from surgery (Post). Filled black symbols indicate values for the control group (4 rats), and open red symbols indicate the same for the hippocampal lesion group (6 rats). The correspondingly color-coded heavy lines are group medians. (A) Proportion of correct trials. (B) Number of trials completed. (C) Mean running speed, excluding times spent at food wells. (D) Median dwell time at food wells at the end of trials. Only running speed significantly differed between the groups (main effect of group, p = 0.0092; group×day interaction, p = 0.012). Post hoc within-day comparisons revealed that the difference in running speed between the two groups was not significant on the last day of pre-surgery training (p = 0.76), but was significant for the post-surgery test (p = 0.0095). Thus, hippocampal lesions caused an increase in running speed but did not disrupt task performance on the linear track.