Swimming escape learning in rats with telencephalic lesions.

Experiments were conducted to determine whether rats having unilateral or bilateral ablation of either the neocortex or telencephalon can learn to escape from a tank of water by climbing a platform. Hemi- or bilaterally decorticated rats were able to learn the swimming escape task, the same being observed for hemidetelencephalated rats. Fully detelencephalated rats, however, did not exhibit this capability. These results show that integrity of one of the cerebral hemispheres is necessary in order to allow swimming escape learning.