Impairment of working memory in the T-maze after transient global cerebral ischemia in the Mongolian gerbil.
Using a T-maze, the influence of transient global cerebral ischemia on working memory in gerbils was investigated. Furthermore, it was examined whether a correlation exists between impairment in choice accuracy in the T-maze and neuron loss in the hippocampus. In two experiments, male Mongolian gerbils were tested in a previously learned delayed alternation T-maze task 1 week after a 4 min occlusion of the common carotid arteries. In both experiments memory was significantly impaired and in the second experiment, where the design allowed a separation between working and reference memory deficits, a selective impairment in working memory was seen. The results suggest that ischemia-induced disruption of delayed alternation in the T-maze in gerbils is a model which is relevant to the clinical manifestations of vascular dementia.
Andersen
M B
MB
Pharmacological Research, H. Lundbeck A/S, Valby, Denmark.
Sams-Dodd
F
F
D000818:Animals; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000502:physiology; D005849:Gerbillinae; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology