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A sex difference in the onset of the latent learning impairment in rats
Eric M Stouffer1, Jessica L Barry
1Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E 2nd Street, Bloomsburg, PA, 17815. estouffe@bloomu.edu.
Abstract:
The current study examined a sex difference in the onset of a latent learning impairment in Sprague-Dawley rats. Forty rats (20 male, 20 female) were tested on the Latent Cue Preference (LCP) task at 3 or 11 months of age. Additionally, 19 female rats were tested at 14 or 18 months of age. All rats were given four training trials in the LCP task using a three-compartment box, during which the rats explored a water-paired compartment and an unpaired compartment (each with a different visual cue) on consecutive days. Rats were then water-deprived for 23 hr and given a compartment preference test, in which more time spent in the water-paired compartment demonstrated latent learning. Results showed that 11-month old males and 18-month old females showed impaired latent learning, but 11- and 14-month old females showed intact latent learning, which may possibly be due to the neuroprotective effects of estrogen.
