Résumé
Objective To study the effect of background music on spatial long-term learning and memory in rats.Methods Morris' water maze was used to examine the mean latencies and strategies of the rats to the target while playing rock music(RM) and light music(LM).The long-term memory was tested on day 7 after the training sessions.Results During Morris' water maze training,no significant difference was found in the mean latencies and the strategies to the target between RM and LM groups as well as LM and the normal control(NC) groups.But the mean latency in RM group was significantly longer than that in the NC group.The average percentage of straight strategy in RM group was significantly smaller than that in the NC group.The examination of memories,when tested on day 7 after the end of training,indicated that the mean latencies and the strategies to the target as well as the time taken to cross the target in the three groups were not significantly different.Conclusion Background rock music can influence the spatial learning ability,but not the spatial long-term memory.On the other hand,there is no effect in the spatial long-term learning and memory when light background music is played.