Electrophysiological Studies of the Functions of the Nucleus Basalis in Primates

For nearly two decades, studies of the activity of nucleus basalis neurons in primates have provided insights to the possible functions of this brain structure. In 1971, DeLong noted that many basalis neurons respond vigorously when an animal receives a water reward in an operant conditioning task. Since the mid-1970’s. Rolls and associates have studied basal forebrain neurons that respond selectively to the sight of food or to stimuli associated with food (Mora et al., 1976; Rolls et al., 1979; Wilson and Rolls, 1990). They have suggested that these neurons may be related to feeding and, more recently, to mnemonic processes. Other basalis neurons have response patterns that are somewhat similar to those of neighboring movement-related pallidal neurons, suggesting that the nucleus basalis may be related to basal ganglia function (Mitchell et al., 1987a,b). Subsequent studies from our laboratory have focused broadly on the entire nucleus basalis in an attempt to identify the processes in which it may be directly involved.