The Morris water maze is one of the most extensively used tools in behavioral neuroscience to investigate spatial learning and memory [1]. MWM learning is thought to rely extensively on hippocampus, and involves several major neurotranmitter systems. One such major neurotransmitter system of great importance is the cholinergic system [2]. Scopolamine, a muscarinic cholinergic antagonist, is kno...

Maternal separation (MS) has been demonstrated to up-regulate the hypothalamic vasopressin (VP) system. Intracerebrally released VP has been demonstrated to affect several types of animal behaviour, such as active/passive avoidance, social recognition, and learning and memory. However, the role of VP in spatial learning remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of an os...

Studies showed that stimulant drugs that affect the monoaminergic system alter both behavioral and cognitive processes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of prenatal and acute methamphetamine (MA) exposure on cognitive functions of adult male rats tested in Morris water maze (MWM). We tested adult male rats prenatally exposed to MA (5 mg/kg), saline or no injection. Hal...

BACKGROUND Testosterone and its metabolites have important roles in learning and memory. The current study has conducted to assess the effect of pre-training, post-training and pre-probe trial intrahippocampal CA1 administration of 3α-anderostanediol (one of the metabolites of testosterone) and indomethacin (as 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme blocker) on acquisition, consolidation and re...

Induction of phosphorylated extracellular-regulated kinase (pERK) is a reliable molecular readout of learning-dependent neuronal activation. Here, we describe a pERK immunohistochemistry protocol to study the profile of hippocampal neuron activation following exposure to a spatial learning task in a mouse model characterized by cognitive deficits of neurodevelopmental origin. Specifically, we u...

Objective(s) The possible risks of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) for the living organisms and human body are a growing concern for our society. In this study, we examined the possibility of changes in working memory and hippocampal histological characteristics effects in mice brain following whole body exposure to microwave radiation. Materials and Methods During gestation per...

This study was designed to examine the effects of recombinant human growth hormone replacement on somatic growth and cognitive function in hypophysectomized (HYPOX) female Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats (5 per group) were randomized by weight to 3 experimental groups: group 1, administered 200 microg/kg of GH once daily for 9 days; group 2, administered 200 microg/kg of GH twice daily; and group 3, ...

Chronic cognitive impairment is an enduring aspect of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in both humans and animals. Treating cognitive impairment in the post-traumatic stages of injury often involves the delivery of pharmacologic agents aimed at specific neurotransmitter systems. The current investigation examined the effects of the nootropoic drug aniracetam on cognitive recovery following TBI in r...

INTRODUCTION Exposure to 3, 4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) could lead to serotonergic system toxicity in the brain. This system is responsible for learning and memory functions. Studies show that MDMA causes memory impairment dose-dependently and acutely. The present study was designed to evaluate the chronic and acute effects of MDMD on spatial memory and acquisition of passive avoida...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of noise exposure on spatial learning and memory and associated mechanisms in the hippocampus (HIP). METHODS Forty-eight male SD rats were grouped as: A, control; B, Morris water maze (MWM) training group; C, noise exposure group; and D, noise exposure followed by MWM training group. The influence of noise stress on spatial learn...