Forty-eight rat pups were handled and isolated from postnatal days 3 through 13 in order to determine whether this manipulation would alter the postnatal development of the hippocampus. Half of these animals were then reared in enriched environments from weaning until maturity to determine whether enrichment would ameliorate the expected deficits in learning ability. Beginning at 90 days of age, all animals were tested on a T-maze, rotating bar and both place and cued versions of a water maze task. The study failed to find gross deficits in learning as a result of the handling/isolation procedure, although emotional differences between groups was evident, as were sex differences. Apparently more questions have been raised than answered by this study, and possible directions for future research are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/277046 |
| Date | January 1989 |
| Creators | Wilson, Lynn Allison, 1953- |
| Contributors | Nadel, Lynn |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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