1. Object-recognition and spatial learning and memory in rats prenatally exposed to ethanol
- Author
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Kim, C. Kwon, Kalynchuk, Lisa E., Kornecook, Tom J., Mumby, David G., Dadgar, Noushine Afshar, Pinel, John P.J., and Weinberg, Joanne
- Subjects
Alcohol -- Physiological aspects ,Rats as laboratory animals -- Research ,Visual perception -- Research ,Spatial behavior -- Research ,Memory -- Research ,Learning -- Research ,Health ,Psychology and mental health - 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