Portacaval shunt in the rat: selective alterations in behavior and brain serotonin

Portacaval shunted (PCS) rats and sham-operated controls were investigated for spontaneous activity, exploration, somatosensory reactivity, swim latencies in a water maze, motor coordination, and passive avoidance 2 to 3 weeks after operation. The rats were subsequently decapitated and indole metabolism was investigated in different brain regions. The results showed that shunted rats were impaired in both open field tests (spontaneous activity and exploration) and in somatosensory reactivity (latency to respond, maximal response and integrated response). Results from motor coordination tasks and learning and memory tests (water maze and passive avoidance) did not demonstrate differences between the groups. There was an increased brain indolamine metabolism in PCS compared to sham-operated rats. No correlation between the behavioral impairment and the altered indolamine metabolism could be demonstrated with multiple correlation analysis.