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Unilateral hippocampal damage impairs spatial cognition in rats
R L Port1, T L Finamore, M M Noble
1Department of Psychology, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA 16057, USA.
The International Journal of Neuroscience
|August 12, 2000
Summary
Unilateral temporal lobectomy in rats caused spatial learning deficits, increasing reference memory errors. This rodent model may help test strategies to reduce cognitive impairment after epilepsy surgery.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Surgical Research
Background:
- Unilateral temporal lobectomy for epilepsy can lead to cognitive deficits in humans.
- A reliable animal model is needed to study and mitigate these deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a rodent model for induced cognitive impairment.
- To assess spatial cognition after unilateral temporal neocortex and hippocampal lesions in rats.
Main Methods:
- Adult rats underwent unilateral lesioning of the temporal neocortex and hippocampus.
- Spatial cognition was assessed using the eight-arm radial maze.
Main Results:
- Both lesioned groups made significantly more reference memory errors than controls.
- No significant difference in working memory errors was observed between groups.
Conclusions:
- Unilateral temporal damage in rats produces spatial learning deficits.
- This model can be used to test interventions for post-surgical cognitive impairment.