Abstract

Behavioral comparisons were made between rats of the Brattleboro strain with hereditary hypothalamic diabetes insipidus (DI) and normal Long-Evans rats. Measurements were made of activity behavior in a lighted open field and in a darkened activity chamber. Subtle measurement specific differences in the activity behavior of DI rats were found which suggested altered emotion, motivation and/or attention in the DI rats. In terms of learned behavior, DI and normal rats displayed a similar degree of habituation to all within-session activity measures in both the open field and darkened activity chamber. In a passive avoidance test, DI rats exhibited a degree of avoidance behavior equivalent to that of normal animals. Thus, these studies provide evidence that the vasopressin-deficient rat is not defective in learning and memory processes. The data can be interpreted as suggesting that vasopressin may influence memory tasks by extrinsic modulation of related states of emotionality, motivation and/or attention rather than by direct involvement in the retrieval and consolidation of information.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.