title: Brain networks underlying navigation in the Cincinnati water maze with external and internal cues.
abstract: The present study investigated the behavioural performance and the contributions of different brain regions on a spatial task performed by Wistar rats in the Cincinnati water maze (CWM) in two conditions: one where both distal and proximal visual cues were available (CWM-light group, n=7) and another where visual cues were eliminated by testing in complete darkness (CWM-dark group, n=7). There were differences in the behavioural performance. Energetic brain metabolism revealed significant differences in the infralimbic, orbitofrontal cortex and anterodorsal striatum. At the same time different brain networks were found. The CWM-light group showed a relationship between the orbitofrontal cortex and medial septum, whereas the CWM-dark group revealed three different networks involving the prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, hippocampus and amygdala nuclei. The study shows that brain activation differs in these two conditions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain; INEUROPA, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain. Electronic address: ariasnatalia@uniovi.es.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain; INEUROPA, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Méndez
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain; INEUROPA, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Jorge L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Arias
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D003624:Darkness; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV
keywords: Allothetic navigation; Brain; Cincinnati water maze; Cytochrome c-oxidase; Idiothetic navigation; Rat