Berry B, McMahan R, Gallagher M
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599, USA.
Behav Neurosci. 1997 Apr;111(2):267-74. doi: 10.1037//0735-7044.111.2.267.
Learning based on hippocampal-dependent spatial navigation in female rats was assessed at identified points in the estrous cycle corresponding to low (estrus) and high (proestrus) circulating estrogen. With background training in water-maze procedures, rats learned the location of an escape platform in the maze in a single session of 8 training trials. A strong spatial bias for the escape platform was also evident in a probe trial used to assess retention of learning 30 min after the training session. This entire protocol was completed in less than an hour. The performance of the estrus and proestrus rats was indistinguishable on all behavioral measures, irrespective of the stage of estrous cycle during the task. These results indicate that rapid learning and retention for spatial information over a relatively short interval may be preserved despite morphological alterations in hippocampal dendritic spine density in the normally cycling female rat.
在雌性大鼠发情周期中对应低循环雌激素水平（发情期）和高循环雌激素水平（动情前期）的特定时间点，评估基于海马体依赖的空间导航学习能力。通过水迷宫程序的背景训练，大鼠在一次包含8次训练试验的训练中学会了迷宫中逃生平台的位置。在用于评估训练后30分钟学习记忆保持情况的探测试验中，对逃生平台也存在明显的空间偏好。整个实验方案在不到一小时内完成。在所有行为指标上，发情期和动情前期大鼠的表现没有差异，无论任务期间处于发情周期的哪个阶段。这些结果表明，尽管正常发情周期的雌性大鼠海马体树突棘密度存在形态学改变，但在相对较短的时间间隔内对空间信息的快速学习和记忆仍可能得以保留。
