Cellular correlates to spatial learning in the rat hippocampus.
Learning through exploration gives increased synaptic field potentials in the perforant path/dentate synapses, largely due to an activity-dependent brain temperature increase. After temperature compensation, spatial learning was associated with small, but significant, STP-like changes of the field potential lasting 20-30 min. A group of spatially trained adult rats showed faster spatial learning and about 10% higher basal dendritic spine density (LY-filled) compared to two control groups. With unchanged dendritic length and branching pattern, the results suggest the formation of new synapses.
Andersen
P
P
Department of Neurophysiology, University of Oslo, Norway.
Moser
E
E
Moser
M B
MB
Trommald
M
M
D000818:Animals; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000502:physiology; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D013028:Space Perception; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission