[The effect of intraspecies isolation in adulthood on the formation of a manipulatory habit in rats].

Dynamics of manipulatory habit formation was examined in white mixed-bred male rats housed in groups or isolated from community at the age of 2 months. A month later all the animals learned to reach food in a horizontal tube using a forepaw. It was shown that the social isolation of adult animals led to slowing the motor habit formation. The effect of isolation depended on paw preference of the animal, i.e., learning was the most difficult for sinistrals and ambidextrals, while the difference between dextral isolants and grouped rats was not significant. The authors consider shown disruptions to be the result of increased negative emotionality of late isolants rather than consequence of their motor disability.