0000000000146832
AUTHOR
M. C. Bernal
Previous Training in the Water Maze
It has been shown that acquisition rates in the water maze vary across strains of mice, although the differential effects of previous experience in this spatial task have been scarcely evaluated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of training in the water maze at an early age (2 months) in two strains of mice (NMRI and C57BL) using a longitudinal study. Mice with or without previous training were tested when they were 6 months, and retested when 10 months old. The results showed that trained NMRI mice performed better than all the other groups, both at test and retest, indicating that previous training had more beneficial effects in NMRI than in C57BL mice. These resul…
Effects of nicotine on spatial learning in C57BL mice
In the present study, the effects of nicotine on spatial memory in C57BL/6J mice was evaluated. Mice were trained in a water maze during four daily sessions of three trials each. In the first experiment, nicotine (0.7 and 0.35 mg/kg) or saline was administered once daily for 4 days, 15 min before the start of daily training: an impairment of performance of the water maze was observed in the group treated with 0.7 mg/kg of nicotine. In the second experiment, nicotine (0.7 and 0.35 mg/kg) or saline was administered from the 5 days prior to the beginning of the task and during the 4 days of acquisition. The results indicated an improvement in the rate of learning in the 9-day nicotine treated …
Time estimation and aging: a comparison between young and elderly adults.
Studies about effects of aging on the estimation of short temporal intervals are not conclusive. The aim of the present research was to evaluate age-related differences in the reproduction of a short interval (10 s) using a computerized method. The sample comprised thirteen young adults ( M = 26.15 years) and twelve elderly adults ( M = 79.1 years). Three parameters of time estimation were measured: estimated time, absolute error, and standard deviation. Results showed that time estimates performed by elderly participants were shorter than those of younger ones, although there were no significant differences between the two age groups in the percentage of absolute errors or standard deviat…
Effects of lobeline on spatial learning in C57BL mice
In the present study, the effect of lobeline on water maze performance in C57BL/6J mice have been evaluated. In the first experiment, subjects were 2-month old mice to which lobeline (3.5 and 7 mg/kg) had been administered SC along 5 days 15 min before daily training in the water maze. Results showed that lobeline did not have effects on the acquisition of the task. In the second experiment, effects of lobeline were compared in 2, 6 and 20-month old mice. In this experiment the drug was administered daily five days prior to the beginning of the task and during the five days of acquisition. Results indicated that 20-month old mice learned the spatial task more slowly than 2 and 6-month old m…