Comparison of the short- and long-lasting effects of perforant path kindling on radial maze learning.
The present experiment compared the long-lasting with the short-lasting effects of kindling the perforant path input to the hippocampal formation on the acquisition of two radial maze tasks. Animals in the long-term group were fully kindled (i.e., Stage 5 motor seizures were evoked) prior to a stimulation-free training period. Animals in the short-term group were kindled 30-45 min prior to each learning trial. A third group of animals served as controls and were never kindled. On both 8-arm and 4/8-arm radical maze tasks, learning impairments were apparent only in the short-term group. Thus, the impaired learning is more likely related to the short-term aftereffects of an afterdischarge than to any long-term alterations in the neuronal status of the brain caused by kindling.
Robinson
G B
GB
Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada.
McNeill
H A
HA
Reed
G D
GD
D000818:Animals; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic / Q000502:physiology*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology