Can rats solve the active place avoidance task without the room-bound cues?

0428973 - FGÚ 2015 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Fajnerová, Iveta - Kenney, Jana - Lobellová, Veronika - Okrouhlicová, Šárka - Stuchlík, Aleš - Klement, Daniel
Can rats solve the active place avoidance task without the room-bound cues?
Behavioural Brain Research. Roč. 267, Jul 1 (2014), s. 126-132. ISSN 0166-4328. E-ISSN 1872-7549
R&D Projects: GA MZd(CZ) NT13386; GA ČR(CZ) GBP304/12/G069
Grant - others:Rada Programu interní podpory projektů mezinárodní spolupráce AV ČR(CZ) M200111204
Institutional support: RVO:67985823
Keywords : spatial behaviour * avoidance behaviour * cognitive coordination * idiothetic navigation
Subject RIV: FH - Neurology
Impact factor: 3.028, year: 2014

The active place avoidance task is used in the research of spatial cognition to test cognitive coordination; the ability of rats to navigate with respect to distal cues in the room and to ignore confusing cues on the rotating arena. The aim of this study was to test if the overtrained rats could be able to solve the task without the room-bound cues, hidden by switching off the lights. Rats trained only in darkness did not learn the task at all. Rats that were initially pre-trained in light performed considerably better, but they needed the aversive stimuli to keep off the to-be-avoided sector. We conclude that rats are able to solve the place avoidance task without the room-bound cues, but not as efficiently as in their presence
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0234184