title: Characterization of the facilitative effects of perinatal choline supplementation on timing and temporal memory.
abstract: Perinatal choline supplementation can improve performance on a variety of spatial memory tasks in adulthood. In order to extend these studies, we have investigated the effects of perinatal choline supplementation on the performance of a peak-interval timing task in which a 20 s temporal criterion was trained for a visual signal in adult (3-6 months old) rats. Following 5 weeks of baseline training, rats received systemic injections of nicotine (0.1, 0.2, or 0.4 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline prior to testing on the peak-interval timing task. The results indicated that perinatal choline supplementation increased rats' sensitivity to the 20 s temporal criterion during baseline training and facilitated the clock speed enhancing effects of nicotine during drug testing. The present study extends the types of long-term cognitive enhancement produced by perinatal choline supplementation to include the temporal processing domain and relates these effects to modifications in cholinergic function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology: Experimental, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Meck
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002794:Choline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D009538:Nicotine; D002794:Choline