title: Dissociation of spatial reference memory, spatial working memory, and hippocampal mossy fiber distribution in two rat strains differing in emotionality.
abstract: Rats of the inbred strains DA/Han and BDE/Han were compared on two complex spatial learning tasks, a spatial reference memory task in a 16-unit multiple T-maze and a spatial working memory task in an eight-arm radial-maze. In addition, sizes of hippocampal mossy fiber terminal fields were measured. BDE rats showed marked superiority in multiple T-maze learning whereas DA rats outperformed BDE rats on the radial-maze task. DA rats had significantly larger intra- and infrapyramidal mossy fiber terminal fields (IIP-MF). This is consistent with findings from other studies suggesting that large IIP-MF are related to excellent spatial radial-maze learning, but it also indicates that size of IIP-MF is correlated with processing of a specific type of spatial information rather than with overall spatial abilities. BDE rats had more extended suprapyramidal mossy fiber projections (SP-MF) and a larger hilus. Rats of both strains differed in exploratory behaviour and emotionality: DA rats revealed little freezing and had a high rearing activity, whereas BDE rats showed frequent freezing and reared rarely. Results suggest that IIP-MF are involved with flexible expression of memory, updating environmental information and parallel processing whereas SP-MF might be linked to processing of familiar information. Presumably, emotional factors contribute to performance differences.
authors.affiliation: Universität Münster, Institut für Neuro- und Verhaltensbiologie, Germany. Helmut.Prior@rz.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Prior
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schwegler
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dücker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D019599:Mossy Fibers, Hippocampal / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity