Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic.
Physiol Behav. 2013 Aug 15;120:11-8. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.06.024. Epub 2013 Jul 4.
Place navigation is essential for an animal's survival and this behavior has attracted the attention of scientists focused on the neural and neuropharmacological bases of learning and memory. Many navigational tests are employed today, such as the Morris water maze (MWM) which demands a precise representation of an unmarked place. Another spatial paradigm is the active place avoidance task. It requires mainly cognitive coordination in contrast to the MWM. Various rat strains are used in the research of animal models of cognitive impairments. The aim of this study was to compare sensitivity to the administration of higher doses (1.5mg/kg and 3mg/kg) of the central cholinergic blocker, scopolamine in outbred Long-Evans and Wistar rats. The results showed that while Wistar rats were more strongly affected by cholinergic blockade in the active place avoidance than Long-Evans rats, no differences were seen in the MWM. Long-Evans rats also showed better baseline performance in the active place avoidance and visible platform versions of the MWM (the latter suggesting better vision). This study demonstrated task-specific inter-strain differences in sensitivity to central cholinergic blockade in an active place avoidance task requiring cognitive coordination.
位置导航对于动物的生存至关重要，这种行为引起了专注于学习和记忆的神经和神经药理学基础的科学家的关注。如今，有许多导航测试被采用，例如需要精确表示无标记位置的 Morris 水迷宫（MWM）。另一种空间范式是主动回避任务。与 MWM 相比，它主要需要认知协调。在认知障碍的动物模型研究中，使用了各种大鼠品系。本研究旨在比较对外源性长耳兔和 Wistar 大鼠给予较高剂量（1.5mg/kg 和 3mg/kg）中枢胆碱能阻断剂东莨菪碱的敏感性。结果表明，虽然 Wistar 大鼠在主动回避任务中比长耳兔对胆碱能阻断的影响更为强烈，但在 MWM 中未见差异。长耳兔在主动回避和可见平台版本的 MWM 中也表现出更好的基线性能（后者表明更好的视力）。本研究证明，在需要认知协调的主动回避任务中，对中枢胆碱能阻断的敏感性存在特定于任务的品系间差异。
