The effects of prenatal nicotine on radial-arm maze performance in rats. 1991

C A Sorenson, and L A Raskin, and Y Suh
Department of Psychology, Amherst College, MA 01002.

Studies have revealed lasting cognitive impairments, including deficits in attention and learning, in the offspring of women who smoke. Animal models have shown that prenatal nicotine can induce behavioral impairments, including deficits in learning and memory, and one study showed that only females were impaired on a maze task. The purpose of the present experiment was two-fold: 1) to attempt to replicate the reported sex difference in maze learning and 2) to assess the ability of nicotine-treated subjects to learn a maze that placed particularly heavy demands on their attentional capabilities. Pregnant mothers were given 6.0 mg/kg/day of nicotine in their drinking water. Offspring of both sexes were tested following weaning in an 8-arm-radial maze using a confinement procedure. Results showed that prenatal nicotine treatment produced significant impairments in performance in the radial-arm maze. These impairments were seen in animals of both sexes, a finding which challenges the view that only females prenatally treated with nicotine show deficits in maze learning.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007858 Learning Relatively permanent change in behavior that is the result of past experience or practice. The concept includes the acquisition of knowledge. Phenomenography
D008297 Male Males
D008431 Maternal-Fetal Exchange Exchange of substances between the maternal blood and the fetal blood at the PLACENTA via PLACENTAL CIRCULATION. The placental barrier excludes microbial or viral transmission. Transplacental Exposure,Exchange, Maternal-Fetal,Exposure, Transplacental,Maternal Fetal Exchange
D008568 Memory Complex mental function having four distinct phases: (1) memorizing or learning, (2) retention, (3) recall, and (4) recognition. Clinically, it is usually subdivided into immediate, recent, and remote memory.
D009538 Nicotine Nicotine is highly toxic alkaloid. It is the prototypical agonist at nicotinic cholinergic receptors where it dramatically stimulates neurons and ultimately blocks synaptic transmission. Nicotine is also important medically because of its presence in tobacco smoke. Nicotine Bitartrate,Nicotine Tartrate
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D003071 Cognition Intellectual or mental process whereby an organism obtains knowledge. Cognitive Function,Cognitions,Cognitive Functions,Function, Cognitive,Functions, Cognitive
D005260 Female Females
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001288 Attention Focusing on certain aspects of current experience to the exclusion of others. It is the act of heeding or taking notice or concentrating. Focus of Attention,Selective Attention,Social Attention,Attention Focus,Attention, Selective,Attention, Social,Selective Attentions

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