title: Different effects of postnatal day 1 versus 7 192 immunoglobulin G-saporin lesions on learning, exploratory behaviors, and neurochemistry in juvenile rats.
abstract: Passive avoidance learning and retention, as well as locomotor and exploratory behaviors, were assessed in rats after intraventricular 192 immunoglobulin G-saporin injections on either Postnatal Day 1 (PND1) or PND7. PND1-lesioned rats were not significantly impaired on acquisition or retention of passive avoidance. PND7-lesioned rats acquired the task slower than controls, but retention was not affected. PND7-lesioned rats were less exploratory than controls and showed reduced wall rearing. Histological analysis of PND1- and PND7-lesioned rats revealed no neuronal degeneration in hippocampus or cortex. There was a marked reduction of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity in the hippocampus, cortex, and septum in the PND7-lesioned rats and a slight but significant ChAT depletion in the cortex of PND1-lesioned rats. These data suggest that the cholinergic system is critical for the learning of passive avoidance and exploratory behaviors in the developing rat.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Fisiopatologia O.S, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ricceri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Calamandrei
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berger-Sweeney
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology; D000922:Immunotoxins; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D010940:Plant Proteins; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D054789:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1; D000076985:Saporins; D012601:Scopolamine; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D000922:Immunotoxins; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D054789:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1; D012601:Scopolamine; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D000076985:Saporins