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Updated: May 8, 2026

Simultaneous Electrocardiography Recording and Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement in Rats
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Spatial memory in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

Thomas-A Sontag1, Anselm B M Fuermaier, Joachim Hauser

  • 1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. Thomas-Alexander.Sontag@ur.de

Plos One
|September 7, 2013
PubMed
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Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), an ADHD model, showed no spatial working memory deficits. Controlling for locomotor activity revealed SHRs performed better than WKY rats, challenging previous findings.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Models
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is a widely used animal model for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
  • ADHD is hypothesized to stem from executive function deficits, including working memory, attentional control, and decision-making.
  • Previous studies present inconsistent findings regarding spatial working memory deficits in SHRs, potentially influenced by locomotor activity levels.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate spatial working and reference memory in SHRs using a holeboard task (COGITAT).
  • To evaluate the impact of locomotor activity as a confounding factor on cognitive performance in SHRs.
  • To assess the validity of the SHR as an animal model for ADHD-related working memory impairments.

Main Methods:

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Last Updated: May 8, 2026

Simultaneous Electrocardiography Recording and Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement in Rats
07:35

Simultaneous Electrocardiography Recording and Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement in Rats

Published on: January 31, 2019

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents
09:01

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

Published on: July 8, 2015

  • Utilized the COGITAT (holeboard) system to simultaneously assess cognitive function and locomotor activity in rats.
  • Compared cognitive performance (spatial working memory and reference memory) between spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) control rats.
  • Analyzed data by accounting for variations in locomotor activity to determine its influence on memory performance.

Main Results:

  • SHRs did not exhibit impairments in spatial working memory or reference memory compared to WKY rats when locomotor activity was not factored.
  • When locomotor activity was controlled for, SHRs demonstrated significantly superior spatial working memory and reference memory compared to WKY rats.
  • The study identified locomotor activity as a significant confounding variable in spatial memory tasks within the SHR model.

Conclusions:

  • Locomotor activity levels critically influence cognitive assessments in the SHR model, necessitating careful control in future research.
  • The SHR model may not accurately reflect the working memory deficits observed in human ADHD patients, contrary to prior assumptions.
  • Further research should focus on refining methodologies to disentangle activity levels from cognitive performance in animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders.