title: Effects of early training and nicotine treatment on the performance of male NMRI mice in the water maze.
abstract: This research aimed to evaluate the effect of nicotine treatment and prior training on a spatial learning task in differently aged NMRI male mice. In a longitudinal study, mice were randomly assigned to one of 14 experimental groups receiving different combinations of chronically injected nicotine (0.35 mg/kg) administered for 10 days (5 days before and during 5 days acquisition of task) or control treatments and training in the water maze at different ages. The mice displayed shorter escape latencies when evaluated at 6 and 10 months than when tested in this task at 2 months for the first time, demonstrating that early training preserves performance in the water maze up to 8 months after the initial experience. Nicotine treatment did not significantly change performance in the water maze at any age tested. Early practice in a spatial reference memory task appears to have lasting consequences and can potentially contribute to preventing some age-related spatial learning deficits.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Psicologia, Facultat de Ciències de l'Educació i Psicologia, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Carretera de Valls s/n. Tarragona 43007, Spain.
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vicens
authors.forename: M Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Carrasco
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Redolat
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009538:Nicotine