Long-term effects of neonatal MK-801 treatment on spatial learning and cortical plasticity in adult rats.
OBJECTIVE
The long-term effects of neonatal treatment with MK-801 on spatial learning and cortical plasticity were investigated in adult rats.


METHODS
Rat pups were injected twice daily with MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg) on postnatal days 7-19, participated in water maze testing between postnatal days 90 and 102, and were then studied electrophysiologically.


RESULTS
Treatment with MK-801 in such a low dose resulted in a very slight impairment of performance in the water maze task, but not in the visual cue response. Besides the slight learning impairment, the electrophysiological study revealed a reduction in the capacity for plasticity in the primary motor cortex of the treated animals, which was pronounced in the controls.


CONCLUSIONS
The study demonstrates that even a slight impairment in learning and memory function may be accompanied by a cortical plasticity deficiency that is detectable electrophysiologically.
Németh
Hajnalka
H
Department of Comparative Physiology, University of Szeged, POB 533, 6701 Szeged, Hungary.
Varga
Hedvig
H
Farkas
Tamás
T
Kis
Zsolt
Z
Vécsei
László
L
Horváth
Szatmár
S
Boda
Krisztina
K
Wolff
Joachim R
JR
Toldi
József
J
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects*; D003463:Cues; D003714:Denervation; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000502:physiology
D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate