Schulz D, Huston J P, Jezek K, Haas H L, Roth-Härer A, Selbach O, Luhmann H J
Institute of Physiological Psychology, Center for Biological and Medical Research, University of Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Eur J Neurosci. 2002 Dec;16(11):2175-85. doi: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2002.02282.x.
In 28- to 30-month-old rats, in vitro short-term and long-term potentiation (STP and LTP) were measured in area CA1 of the hippocampus in seven superior and seven inferior learners, that were selected from a pool of 40 rats based on water maze escape performance over a period of 9 days. The aim was to examine whether levels of STP and LTP could account for group differences in learning of water maze escape, spatial preference and wall (thigmotaxis)-avoidance and in short-term retention of an inhibitory avoidance task. There was no significant group difference in open-field exploration, i.e. the number of rearings. In contrast to expectation, the superior and inferior learners did not differ significantly from each other in levels of STP and LTP. However, variability in escape and spatial learning, but not thigmotaxis-avoidance learning, was significantly predicted by variability in STP and LTP in the superior group. Also, open-field exploratory rearings were significantly correlated with STP and LTP as well as with maze escape learning in the superior group. The results show that, in the aged superior group, levels of CA1 STP and LTP coincided with residual water maze escape and spatial preference learning as well as open-field exploration, i.e. behavioural expressions known to be related to hippocampal functioning, but not with learning to avoid thigmotaxis in the maze. The lack of such correlations in the inferior group may be due to the severe impairment in escape and spatial preference learning and/or the influence of yet unknown third variables on these relationships.
在28至30月龄的大鼠中，从40只大鼠中根据9天的水迷宫逃避表现选出7只学习能力强的和7只学习能力弱的大鼠，测量其海马体CA1区的体外短期和长期增强（STP和LTP）。目的是研究STP和LTP水平是否可以解释水迷宫逃避学习、空间偏好和壁（趋触性）回避学习以及抑制性回避任务短期记忆方面的组间差异。在旷场探索方面，即直立次数，两组之间没有显著差异。与预期相反，学习能力强的和学习能力弱的大鼠在STP和LTP水平上没有显著差异。然而，在学习能力强的组中，STP和LTP的变异性显著预测了逃避和空间学习的变异性，但没有预测趋触性回避学习的变异性。此外，在学习能力强的组中，旷场探索直立次数与STP、LTP以及迷宫逃避学习显著相关。结果表明，在老年学习能力强的组中，CA1区的STP和LTP水平与残留的水迷宫逃避和空间偏好学习以及旷场探索一致，即与已知的与海马功能相关的行为表现一致，但与迷宫中趋触性回避学习无关。在学习能力弱的组中缺乏这种相关性可能是由于逃避和空间偏好学习的严重受损和/或未知的第三个变量对这些关系的影响。
