title: Isolation rearing impairs novel object recognition and attentional set shifting performance in female rats.
abstract: It has been suggested that the isolation rearing paradigm models certain aspects of schizophrenia symptomatology. This study aimed to investigate whether isolation rearing impairs rats' performance in two models of cognition: the novel object recognition (NOR) and attentional set-shifting tasks, tests of episodic memory and executive function, respectively. Two cohorts of female Hooded-Lister rats were used in these experiments. Animals were housed in social isolation or in groups of five from weaning, post-natal day 28. The first cohort was tested in the NOR test with inter-trial intervals (ITIs) of 1 min up to 6 h. The second cohort was trained and tested in the attentional set-shifting task. In the NOR test, isolates were only able to discriminate between the novel and familiar objects up to 1-h ITI, whereas socially reared animals remembered the familiar object up to a 4-h ITI. In the attentional set-shifting task, isolates were significantly and selectively impaired in the extra-dimensional shift phase of the task (P < 0.01). Rats reared in isolation show impaired episodic memory in the NOR task and reduced ability to shift attention between stimulus dimensions in the attentional set-shifting task. Because schizophrenic patients show similar deficits in performance in these cognitive domains, these data further support isolation rearing as a putative preclinical model of the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Bradford School of Pharmacy, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK.
authors.forename: Sl
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grayson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Protheroe
authors.forename: Ml
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woolley
authors.forename: Jc
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D051381:Rats; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012718:Set, Psychology; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors