51. Object-recognition and spatial learning and memory in rats prenatally exposed to ethanol.
- Author
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Kim CK, Kalynchuk LE, Kornecook TJ, Mumby DG, Dadgar NA, Pinel JP, and Weinberg J
- Subjects
- Animals, Brain drug effects, Brain physiopathology, Cues, Discrimination Learning physiology, Escape Reaction drug effects, Escape Reaction physiology, Female, Male, Maze Learning physiology, Mental Recall physiology, Orientation physiology, Pattern Recognition, Visual physiology, Pregnancy, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Retention, Psychology drug effects, Retention, Psychology physiology, Social Environment, Discrimination Learning drug effects, Ethanol toxicity, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders physiopathology, Maze Learning drug effects, Mental Recall drug effects, Orientation drug effects, Pattern Recognition, Visual drug effects
- Abstract
Prenatal ethanol exposure can produce cognitive and behavioral impairments. In the present study, rats from prenatal ethanol (E), pair-fed (PF), and ad libitum-fed control (C) treatment conditions were tested on the object-recognition delayed-nonmatching-to-sample (DNMS) task with nonrecurring items and on the spatial-navigation Morris water maze task. In Experiment 1, there were no significant differences among groups in object-recognition learning and memory, distractibility, or response perseveration on the DNMS task. In Experiment 2, the same rats were tested in the water maze; E rats took significantly longer to learn the task than did the PF or C rats. These data suggest that the mechanisms underlying spatial cognitive abilities are more vulnerable to the teratogenic effects of prenatal ethanol exposure than those underlying object-recognition abilities.
- Published
- 1997
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