Sex- and age-dependent effects of early postnatal sibling deprivation on spatial learning and memory in adult rats

Yan-Qin Li; Xiao-Yi Wang; Hai-Feng Zhai; Xiang Yang Zhang; Therese Kosten; Lin Lu

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2007.07.028

Sex- and age-dependent effects of early postnatal sibling deprivation on spatial learning and memory in adult rats

Behav Brain Res. 2008 Jan 10;186(1):138-42. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2007.07.028. Epub 2007 Jul 27.

Authors

Yan-Qin Li¹, Xiao-Yi Wang, Hai-Feng Zhai, Xiang Yang Zhang, Therese Kosten, Lin Lu

Affiliation

¹ National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China.

PMID: 17765982
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2007.07.028

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effects of early postnatal sibling deprivation (EPSD) on spatial learning and memory in adult rats. Litters were culled to one pup with its mother on postnatal day (PN) 1 or 7 and their spatial learning and memory ability were examined with Morris water maze in adult. EPSD on PN1 improved, but on PN7 impaired performance of the spatial learning task in adult female rats. However, EPSD did not have any effect on the spatial learning ability in adult male rats.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Age Factors
Analysis of Variance
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Association Learning / physiology
Exploratory Behavior / physiology
Female
Male
Maze Learning / physiology*
Memory / physiology*
Psychosocial Deprivation*
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Sex Factors
Siblings
Social Environment*
Spatial Behavior / physiology*