Effects of septal cholinergic lesion on rat exploratory behavior in an open-field
Braz. j. med. biol. res
;
36(2): 233-238, Feb. 2003. graf
Artigo
em Inglês
| LILACS
| ID: lil-326422
ABSTRACT
The medial septum participates in the modulation of exploratory behavior triggered by novelty. Also, selective lesions of the cholinergic component of the septohippocampal system alter the habituation of rats to an elevated plus-maze without modifying anxiety indices. We investigated the effects of the intraseptal injection of the cholinergic immunotoxin 192 IgG-saporin (SAP) on the behavior of rats in an open-field. Thirty-nine male Wistar rats (weight 194-230 g) were divided into three groups, non-injected controls and rats injected with either saline (0.5 æl) or SAP (237.5 ng/0.5 æl). Twelve days after surgery, the animals were placed in a square open-field (120 cm) and allowed to freely explore for 5 min. After the test, the rats were killed by decapitation and the septum, hippocampus and frontal cortex were removed and assayed for acetylcholinesterase activity. SAP increased acetylcholinesterase activity in the septum, hippocampus and frontal cortex and decreased the total distance run (9.15 ± 1.51 m) in comparison to controls (13.49 ± 0.91 m). The time spent in the center and at the periphery was not altered by SAP but the distance run was reduced during the first and second minutes (2.43 ± 0.36 and 1.75 ± 0.34 m) compared to controls (4.18 ± 0.26 and 3.14 ± 0.25 m). SAP-treated rats showed decreased but persistent exploration throughout the session. These results suggest that septohippocampal cholinergic mechanisms contribute to at least two critical processes, one related to the motivation to explore new environments and the other to the acquisition and storage of spatial information (i.e., spatial memory)
Texto completo:
DisponíveL
Índice:
LILACS (Américas)
Assunto principal:
Acetilcolinesterase
/
Núcleos Septais
/
Imunotoxinas
/
Colinérgicos
/
Comportamento Exploratório
/
Anticorpos Monoclonais
Limite:
Animais
Idioma:
Inglês
Revista:
Braz. j. med. biol. res
Assunto da revista:
Biologia
/
Medicina
Ano de publicação:
2003
Tipo de documento:
Artigo
/
Documento de projeto
País de afiliação:
Brasil
/
Estados Unidos
Instituição/País de afiliação:
Rutgers University/US
/
Universidade de São Paulo/BR
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