An animal model of perinatal hypoxic brain damage: behavioural aspects

Long-lasting alterations of spontaneous motor as well as learning behaviour of rats after an early postnatal mild chronic hypoxia were examined. The exposure to hypoxia was 10 h daily from the 2nd to the 6th day of life. In adulthood these rats were hyperactive and learned the active avoidance response later than the controls. The rough indices of brain development air righting response and swimming posture did not show any retardation shortly after hypoxia. Hypoxia exposed rats learned in the T-maze more rapidly than the controls.