Disconnection of the amygdala central nucleus and the substantia innominata/nucleus basalis magnocellularis disrupts performance in a sustained attention task

The basal forebrain cholinergic system is broadly implicated in the regulation of attention. Disruptions in the function of this system produce impairments in many attentional functions, including the performance of well-learned responses under increased attentional load and the surprise-induced enhancement of learning rate. Similarly, lesions of the amygdala central nucleus (CeA) have been found to impair attentional function in some circumstances. In the present article, the effects of lesions that disconnected CeA from the cholinergic substantia innominata/nucleus basalis magnocellularis (SI/nBM) on performance are examined in a modified 5-choice serial reaction time (5CSRT) task, thought to assess selective or sustained attention. The lesions impaired performance under conditions of increased attentional load, suggesting that a circuit that includes CeA and SI/nBM regulates these aspects of attention.