The effects of hippocampal lesions on response, direction, and place learning in rats

Behav Neurosci. 2005 Aug;119(4):946-52. doi: 10.1037/0735-7044.119.4.946.

Abstract

Rats with hippocampal or sham lesions were trained to find food on a T maze located at 2 positions. Response rats were required to make a right or left turn. Direction rats were required to go in a consistent direction (east or west). Place rats were required to go to a consistent location, relative to room cues. One place group had distinguishable start points at the 2 maze positions, whereas another place group had start points facing the same side of the room. Controls took longer to solve a place problem than the response and direction problems when the start points were not distinguishable. Rats with hippocampal lesions were not different than controls on the response problem but were impaired on the direction and place problems.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology
  • Brain Diseases / chemically induced
  • Brain Diseases / physiopathology*
  • Cues
  • Hippocampus / injuries
  • Hippocampus / physiopathology*
  • Male
  • Maze Learning / drug effects
  • Maze Learning / physiology*
  • N-Methylaspartate
  • Rats
  • Rats, Long-Evans
  • Space Perception / drug effects
  • Space Perception / physiology*
  • Spatial Behavior / drug effects
  • Spatial Behavior / physiology*

Substances

  • N-Methylaspartate