[Formation of complex behavior habits in white rats after exposure to artificial gravitation aboard the Cosmos-936 biosatellite]. / Formirovanie slozhnykh navykov povedeniia u belykh krys posle vozdeistviia iskusstvennoi gravitatsii na bortu biosputnika "Kosmos-936".

A study was made of the behaviour of albino rats solving complex tasks in the Lachman maze and in a maze of original design, on the 18th to 24th days after exposure on board the "Kosmos-936" biosatellite. In conditions of artificial gravitation the animals solved such tasks significantly worse than those which were not subjected to centrifugation on board. Control trials on Earth and some features of the experimental technique suggest that this fact is due to negative influence of angular velocities during centrifugation on the animal's central nervous system.

[Effect of artificial gravitation during space flight on motor habit retention in white rats]. / Vliianie iskusstvennoi gravitatsii v usloviiakh kosmicheskogo poleta na sokhrannost' dvigatel'nykh navykov u belykh krys.

The recovery of a goal-reaching habit (food reaching) was studied in albino rats in a maze after space exposure on biosatellite "Kosmos-936". Animals which were exposed to artificial gravitation during the flight, restored the habit slightly worse than those not centrifuged. The tendency toward worsening is clearly pronounced, although the small number of animals and small changes (which to a considerable degree was due to relatively simple tasks) seem to produce insignificant differences at this stage of the study. The absence of positive effect of artificial gravitation might be connected with a negative effect of angular speeds during centrifugation.

[Reactions of rats to behavior tasks of different degrees of difficulty after flight aboard the biosatellite "cosmos-782"]. / Reaktsii krks na povedencheski e zadachi raznoi stepeni trudnosti posle poleta na biosputnike "Kosmos-782".

Maze behaviour of rats was studied on 6--25th days after exposure on biosatellite "Kosmos-782". Presentation of a foreign stimulus (a bell) on the 6--7th day after return, had a weaker effect on the maze performance in experimental rats, than in the control group. The experimental animals were also better adapted, as compared to the control ones, to an increased functional stress on CNS (increased number of runs in the maze from 3 to 16 in one session), applied on 11--13th day after the return. Similarly, the ability to use previous experience in a new situation, tested an 15--20th day after the return was slightly higher in experimental animals than in the control. During elaboration of a habit in an utterly new complex maze, first runs in each session were performed by experimental rats in the same way as by the control ones, whereas in second runs the afterflight rats did considerably worse than those in the control. The data analysis showed that the described changes in higher nervous activity were not caused by muscle weakness; they were due to exhaustion of the higher parts of CNS, while closing functions remained intact.

[Retention and recovery of a goal-achieving habit in rats after a flight on biosatellite "Cosmos-782"]. / Sokhranenie i vosstanovlenie navyka dostizheniia tseli v labirinte u krys posle poleta na biosputnike "Kosmos-782".

The retention and recovery of food-procuring skill in the maze was impaired in rats after 19.5-days space flight. The study conducted 2--12 days after landing, revealed an increase in the number of erroneous movements and of refusals to cope with the maze, as well as in the time of reaching the goal. These phenomena cannot be explained only by reduction of alimentary excitability and muscular weakness. It is assumed that the observed changes in the higher nervous activity were due to a weakening of the basic nervous processes which might be caused by a decrease in the sensory impulse activity during weightlessness.

[Behavior of rats in the labyrinth after a flight on the Cosmos-690 biosatellite]. / Povedenie krys v labirinte posle poleta na biosputnike "Kosmos-690".

Rats irradiated aboard the biosatellite Cosmos-690 and in the synchronous mockup showed deteriorated retention and recovery of the skill of traversing the maze. The rats irradiated on the Earth displayed greater changes in the parameters. The rats irradiated inflight exhibited an increased fatigue during enhanced activity. All the exposed animals showed an insignificant change in the capacity to transfer their experience.

[Conditioned reflex activity of rats at later periods after the end of flight aboard the bioasatellite "Cosmos-605"]. / Uslovnoreflektornaia deiatel'nost' krys v pozdnie sroki posle okonchaniia poleta na biosputnike "Kosmos-605".

During the period from the 15th to the 50th day after the end of the flight in the "Cosmos-605" biosatellite, the rats revealed a deterioration of the capacity for the transfer of experience and for improving the habit of reaching the goal in a maze. There was also a change in the dynamics of errors during the experiment which testifies to greater susceptibility to exhaustion of nervous processes. Some parameters indicated a tendency to normalization of higher nervous activity. This suggests that the disturbances observed are functional and reversible.

[Higher nervous activity of rats at early periods after the end of flight in the biosatellite "Cosmos-605"]. / Vysshaia nervnaia deiatel'nost' krys na rannikh srokakh posle okonchaniia poleta na biosputnike "Kosmos-605".

Functional changes of higher nervous activity were found in the rats after a 22-day flight in the biosatellite "Cosmos-605". The ability to retain and restore the habit of searching food in the maze deteriorated. The number of refusals to go through the maze increased with an enhancement of the functional load on the central nervous system. This resulted not only from reduced alimentary excitability or muscular weakness developed during the flight, but also from a weakening of the basic nervous processes in the higher parts of the central nervous system.