Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
14:24
An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze
Published on: July 29, 2025
1.8K
Early handling effect on female rat spatial and non-spatial learning and memory.
Fulvio Plescia1, Rosa A M Marino1, Michele Navarra2
1Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care "Giuseppe D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, V. Vespro 129, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
Behavioural Processes
|November 13, 2013
Summary
Early handling, involving brief daily maternal separations, significantly enhances learning and memory in adult female rats. These early life experiences positively impact cognitive functions, including object recognition and spatial memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Early life experiences, including maternal care, profoundly influence neurodevelopment and long-term cognitive function.
- The impact of short-term maternal separation on stress response and cognitive performance requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term effects of early handling procedures on learning and memory in adult female rats.
- To assess the influence of brief maternal separations on declarative memory, spatial learning, and working memory.
Main Methods:
- Early handling involved daily 15-minute separations of dams from litters from post-natal day 2 to 21.
- Declarative memory was assessed using the novel-object recognition task.
- Spatial learning, reference memory, and working memory were evaluated using the Morris water maze (MWM).
Main Results:
- Early handling significantly enhanced declarative memory in the object recognition task at both 1-hour and 24-hour intervals.
- Enhanced spatial reference memory and working memory, along with improved behavioral flexibility, were observed in the MWM paradigms.
- Short-term maternal separation led to a dampened hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response, suggesting a protective effect on cognitive function.
Conclusions:
- Brief maternal separations during early development result in long-lasting improvements in object recognition, spatial reference, and working memory in female rats.
- Early environmental experiences and maternal care significantly impact adaptive behavioral mechanisms in adulthood.
- Modulated stress response activation due to early handling may protect brain structures crucial for cognitive function.
