Spontaneous alternation and septal lesions.

Abstract

Spontaneous alternation behavior was investigated in rats with electrolytic lesions in the septal region and in sham-operated controls. Bilateral septal lesions abolished alternation, as both the overall alternation rate and the distribution of daily scores were very close to 50-50 chance expectancies. In contrast, the sham group alternated at a very high rate. The present results are consistent with the hypothesis that spontaneous alternation is the result of an underlying inhibitory process.

Supplementation with apple juice can compensate for folate deficiency in a mouse model deficient in methylene tetra hydrofoate reductase activity

“…Notably, supplementation with AJC at levels utilized herein has been demonstrated to prevent the reduction in acetylcholine and decline in cognitive performance that otherwise accompanies maintenance of mice on the deficient diet (16,24). In support of this possibility, cholinergic depletion itself is sufficient to induce impairments in memory in rodents (25)(26)(27)(28)(29).…”

The value of spontaneous alternation behavior (SAB) as a test of retention in pharmacological investigations of memory

“…That interpretation was strengthened by the lesioned rats also showing a reduced tendency to habituate when given an opportunity to freely explore the maze. Following this initial study, there were a number of reports over several years of decreased twotrial SAB after lesions of the hippocampus and septum [21][22][23][24]. While it was tempting to ascribe all these effects to impaired memory, the complex nature of the phenomenon in terms of cues and motives suggested other interpretations, such as attentional or motivational deficits [14].…”

Neotic preferences in laboratory rodents: Issues, assessment and substrates

“…Given the important role of the hippocampus in memory (Bannerman et al, 2004;Gold and Greenough, 2001), it is not surprising that many of the decreases in novelty preferences following hippocampal lesions have been ascribed to disturbances of memory function or habituation to novelty (Douglas, 1989), although impaired attention or sensory processing could play a part in some instances (Hughes, 1982). It is also possible that reduced preferences for novelty expressed as decreased SAB in rats with lesions to the associated septal area (Douglas and Raphelson, 1966) might be a neophobic response to the elevation of fear that can follow such a procedure (Slotnick et al, 1974), although Gray (1979) proposed that septal lesions reduce rather than increase fear. And more recent evidence indicates that impaired memory involved in preferences for novelty may be specific to the novel stimulus when presented in a different location, rather than to the ability to discriminate between novel and familiar stimuli experienced in the same location (Mumby et al, 2002).…”

“…At one stage, two-trial SAB was a popular measure of habituation to novelty especially in attempts to establish the neural and neurochemical bases of the phenomenon (e.g., Carlton and Markiewcz, 1971;Douglas and Isaacson, 1966;Douglas and Raphelson, 1966). In more recent times it has featured extensively as a measure of short-term memory (especially in pharmacological investigations) on the basis that subjects must remember which maze arm it entered on the first trial, so that it can alternate on the second.…”