Abstract
The development of the hippocampus in rats may be vulnerable to undernutrition during the fetal and suckling periods. Hence the behavioral effects of early growth restriction may resemble those of hippocampal lesions. This suggestion was investigated by testing previously undernourished rats for reversal learning, an ability badly affected in hippocampectomized rats. Developing rats were undernourished by feeding their mothers a restricted quantity of a good quality diet during pregnancy and lactation. All rats were fed ad lib from weaning. Reversal of spatial discrimination learning was tested in adult animals using a water T-maze. Previously undernourished rats learned the initial spatial discrimination more quickly than controls. However, there was no effect of early treatment on serial reversal learning in Experiment I or on performance of a single reversal after prolonged initial training in Experiment II.
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J. L. Smart & J. Dobbing,Increased thirst and hunger in adult rats undernourished as infants: An alternative explanation. In preparation.
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This work was financed by a Program Grant to Professor John Dobbing from the British Medical Research Council. The National Fund for Research into Crippling Diseases gave additional assistance.
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Smart, J.L. Reversal of spatial discrimination learning in a water maze by previously undernourished rats. Animal Learning & Behavior 4, 313–316 (1976). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214056
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214056