Comparison of developmental trajectories for place and cued navigation in the morris water task

Akers, Katherine G.; Hamilton, Derek A.

doi:10.1002/dev.20227

Cited by 38 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The present findings are also consistent with the rodent literature demonstrating age-related improvements in acquisition (reduced escape latency and shorter swim distances) and retention (more time spent in goal quadrant), observed from adolescence to adulthood (Akers et al, 2007; Carman et al, 2001). Specifically, spatial navigation abilities emerge very early in rat development (i.e., generally around postnatal days 19–22) (Carman et al, 2001; Carman et al, 2002; Castro et al, 1987; Akers et al, 2007; Brown et al, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Specifically, spatial navigation abilities emerge very early in rat development (i.e., generally around postnatal days 19–22) (Carman et al, 2001; Carman et al, 2002; Castro et al, 1987; Akers et al, 2007; Brown et al, 2000). Overall, preweanling rats have been shown to successfully learn to navigate to the platform in place and cued versions of the WMT.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sex differences in spatial navigation and perception in human adolescents and emerging adults

Sneider

Hamilton

Cohen‐Gilbert

et al. 2015

Behavioural Processes

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Males typically outperform females on spatial tasks, beginning early in life and continuing into adulthood. This study aimed to characterize age and sex differences in human spatial ability using a virtual Water Maze Task (vWMT), which is based on the classic Morris water maze spatial navigation task used in rodents. Performance on the vWMT and on a task assessing visuospatial perception, Mental Rotations Test (MRT), was examined in 33 adolescents and 39 emerging adults. For the vWMT, significant effects of age and sex were observed for path length in the target region (narrower spatial sampling), and heading error, with emerging adults performing better than adolescents, and an overall male advantage. For the MRT, males scored higher than females, but only in emerging adulthood. Overall, sex differences in visuospatial perception (MRT) emerge differently from those observed on a classic navigation task, with age and sex-specific superior vWMT performance likely related to the use of more efficient strategies. Importantly, these results extend the developmental timeline of spatial ability characterization to include adolescent males and females performing a virtual version of the classic vWMT.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in spatial navigation and perception in human adolescents and emerging adults

Sneider

Hamilton

Cohen‐Gilbert

et al. 2015

Behavioural Processes

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“…Most studies agree that the visually cued version of the task can be solved 1–2 days earlier during development than the hidden platform version [102,103,105], with the earliest evidence of learning (assessed by reduced escape latencies) being observed at P17 [103,105,107]. (Though note that one study failed to find evidence of this, with both place and visually cued learning emerging in parallel at P19 [104]).…”

Section: The Development Of Spatial Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

The development of spatial behaviour and the hippocampal neural representation of space

Wills

Muessig

Cacucci

2014

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The role of the hippocampal formation in spatial cognition is thought to be supported by distinct classes of neurons whose firing is tuned to an organism's position and orientation in space. In this article, we review recent research focused on how and when this neural representation of space emerges during development: each class of spatially tuned neurons appears at a different age, and matures at a different rate, but all the main spatial responses tested so far are present by three weeks of age in the rat. We also summarize the development of spatial behaviour in the rat, describing how active exploration of space emerges during the third week of life, the first evidence of learning in formal tests of hippocampus-dependent spatial cognition is observed in the fourth week, whereas fully adult-like spatial cognitive abilities require another few weeks to be achieved. We argue that the development of spatially tuned neurons needs to be considered within the context of the development of spatial behaviour in order to achieve an integrated understanding of the emergence of hippocampal function and spatial cognition.

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“…Interestingly, rats at PD 16 showed no significant difference in latencies to the cued platform whether it was in the same location in the pool or room, whereas all rats PD 17 or older displayed the adult pattern of outcomes, first erroneously swimming to the previous position relative to the pool walls, as guided by its orientation relative to the room. Most studies indicate that the emergence of place navigation in rats begins between PD 20–22 (review: Akers and Hamilton, 2007) which is generally taken to reflect the maturation of the hippocampus, supported by upstream sensory and cognitive systems involved in navigation. The observations of Akers et al (2011) are consistent with the hypothesis that distal cues control orientation, but not precise position, very early in development, at the same time that HD cells are maturing functionally, prior to the appearance of mature place cell and grid cell responses.…”

Section: Development Of Brain Representations Of the Environment And mentioning

confidence: 99%

Vestibular activity and cognitive development in children: perspectives

Wiener-Vacher¹,

Hamilton²,

Wiener³

2013

Front. Integr. Neurosci.

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Vestibular signals play an essential role in oculomotor and static and dynamic posturomotor functions. Increasing attention is now focusing on their impact on spatial and non-spatial cognitive functions. Movements of the head in space evoke vestibular signals that make important contributions during the development of brain representations of body parts relative to one another as well as representations of body orientation and position within the environment. A central nervous system pathway relays signals from the vestibular nuclei to the hippocampal system where this input is indispensable for neuronal responses selective for the position and orientation of the head in space. One aspect of the hippocampal systems’ processing to create episodic and contextual memories is its role in spatial orientation and navigation behaviors that require processing of relations between background cues. These are also impaired in adult patients with vestibular deficits. However little is known about the impact of vestibular loss on cognitive development in children. This is investigated here with a particular emphasis upon the hypothetical mechanisms and potential impact of vestibular loss at critical ages on the development of respective spatial and non-spatial cognitive processes and their brain substrates.

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Comparison of developmental trajectories for place and cued navigation in the morris water task

Cited by 38 publications

References 26 publications

Sex differences in spatial navigation and perception in human adolescents and emerging adults

Sex differences in spatial navigation and perception in human adolescents and emerging adults

The development of spatial behaviour and the hippocampal neural representation of space

Vestibular activity and cognitive development in children: perspectives

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