Sex differences in the Morris water maze in young rats: temporal dimensions

• Jorge Luis Arias Pérez ^[1] ; Rubén Miranda ^[1] ; José Manuel Cimadevilla Redondo ^[1] ; Nélida María Conejo Jiménez ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad de Oviedo

     Universidad de Oviedo

     Oviedo, España

     
• Localización: Psicothema, ISSN-e 1886-144X, ISSN 0214-9915, Vol. 16, Nº. 4, 2004, págs. 611-614
• Idioma: español
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• Dialnet Métricas: 5 Citas
• Resumen
  • español

    Diferencias sexuales en el laberinto acuático de Morris en ratas jóvenes: dimensiones temporales.Existen muchos factores que influyen en nuestra memoria. El lapso de tiempo entre la adquisición y la recuperación de información parece ser crucial. En este estudio se evaluó en el laberinto de Morris la memoria espacial en ratas macho y hembra a los 30 días postnatales, modificando el intervalo entre la fase de adquisición y recuperación. Se utilizaron tres grupos de ratas hembra evaluadas con intervalos de 1 minuto, 6 horas y 12 horas y un grupo de ratas macho evaluadas 12 horas tras la adquisición. La prueba de recuerdo revela una ejecución adecuada en el grupo de ratas macho y una tendencia en las hembras a buscar la plataforma en un cuadrante incorrecto cuando se utilizan intervalos de 6 y 12 horas. Estos resultados sugieren que las hembras forman una representación del entorno más débil, que podría verse alterada más fácilmente que en machos con el paso del tiempo

  • English

    There are many factors affecting our memory. The lapse of time between the acquisition and retrieval of information seems to be crucial because the intervening consolidation processes make a lasting engram. In this study, spatial memory was tested in 30day-old male and female Wistar rats by increasing delays between the acquisition phase and the probe test in the Morris water maze. Three groups of female rats were assessed with 1min, 6h and 12h delays as well as a male group tested with a result of a 12h delay. Results of the probe test revealed an adequate performance in males but a tendency in females to search for the missing platform in an incorrect place when long delays had occurred after acquisition (between 6 to 12h delays). These results suggest that females form a weaker representation of the environment than males, and such representation may be altered over time

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