title: Maternal separation induces alterations in reversal learning and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in adult rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Early postnatal maternal and/or sibling separation (MS) can play an important role in the development of psychopathologies during ontogeny. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of repeated MS on the cognitive and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) function of rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the effects of repeated MS that lasted 3 h/day during postnatal days 1-21 on spatial learning and reversal learning in Morris water maze tests in male rats. The rats were tested in 4 trials. Moreover, we examined the effects of MS on BDNF protein expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the nucleus accumbens, and the hippocampus via immunohistochemistry measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that repeated MS modestly disrupted reversal learning performance in the Morris water maze and decreased BDNF protein expression in the mPFC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study enhances our understanding of the neurobiological and behavioral consequences of repeated episodes of MS in rats to some degree.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaofang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Weiwen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D018782:Maze Learning; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012193:Reversal Learning
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor