Abstract
Objective This paper is to study the behavioral characterization of adult male rats after experiencing neonatal maternal deprivation. Methods A maternal deprivation model was used. The male pups were randomly assigned to maternal deprivation group (n =16) and control group (n =14) on postnatal day 1. Maternal deprivation rats were removed from their mother for 6 hours per day(9∶ 00～15∶ 00). When the pups were 10 weeks old, behavioral tests including Morris water maze,an open field test and an elevated plus maze test were carried out to evaluate their spatial learning and memory, the exploration ability in new environment and the level of anxiety.Results Two groups were significantly different in mean latency to reach the platform[maternal deprivation group(83.66±22.91);control group(56.98±20.89)] in the Morris water maze experiment. Open-field test revealed that the exploratory ability decreased compared to the controls[ maternal deprivation group(17.41±2.24);control group(22.86±2.89)].The elevated plus maze experiment show that maternal deprivation group spent a greater amount of time in the open arms( u =2.35,P <0.05).Conclusion The adult male rats experienced neonatal maternal separation showed impairment in some behaviors. Key words: Maternal deprivation; SD rats; Behavior
Published Version
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