Biomaterial Database

The effect of early visual experience on spatial maze learning in rats. 1981

R C Tees, and G Midgley, and J C Nesbit

In the 1st of 2 experiments on spatial ability, groups of sighted and blind, light-reared (LR) and dark-reared (DR) rats were tested on a series of (Hebb-Williams) maze problems and their reversals under appetitive and aversive reinforcement conditions. Significant effects due to early rearing conditions, vision at time of testing, and problem were found. Dark-reared rats learned the problems whose solution depended on nonvisual cues more slowly than LR animals. Blindness at time of testing had a significantly adverse effect on the performance of LR and DR rats on all problems, but a significantly greater effect in the DR animals. In a 2nd experiment DR rats were also found to perform less effectively than LR rats on a 17-arm radial maze throughout a 36-day period during which variations in the task were introduced. The results reveal the impact of early visual experience on the development of the ability to acquire spatial concepts.

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
D008027	Light	That portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared range.	Light, Visible,Photoradiation,Radiation, Visible,Visible Radiation,Photoradiations,Radiations, Visible,Visible Light,Visible Radiations
D008297	Male		Males
D010775	Photic Stimulation	Investigative technique commonly used during ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY in which a series of bright light flashes or visual patterns are used to elicit brain activity.	Stimulation, Photic,Visual Stimulation,Photic Stimulations,Stimulation, Visual,Stimulations, Photic,Stimulations, Visual,Visual Stimulations
D012054	Reinforcement, Psychology	The strengthening of a conditioned response.	Negative Reinforcement,Positive Reinforcement,Psychological Reinforcement,Reinforcement (Psychology),Negative Reinforcements,Positive Reinforcements,Psychological Reinforcements,Psychology Reinforcement,Psychology Reinforcements,Reinforcement, Negative,Reinforcement, Positive,Reinforcement, Psychological,Reinforcements (Psychology),Reinforcements, Negative,Reinforcements, Positive,Reinforcements, Psychological,Reinforcements, Psychology
D001766	Blindness	The inability to see or the loss or absence of perception of visual stimuli. This condition may be the result of EYE DISEASES; OPTIC NERVE DISEASES; OPTIC CHIASM diseases; or BRAIN DISEASES affecting the VISUAL PATHWAYS or OCCIPITAL LOBE.	Amaurosis,Bilateral Blindness,Blindness, Bilateral,Blindness, Legal,Blindness, Monocular,Blindness, Unilateral,Sudden Visual Loss,Unilateral Blindness,Blindness, Acquired,Blindness, Complete,Blindness, Hysterical,Blindness, Transient,Acquired Blindness,Amauroses,Bilateral Blindnesses,Complete Blindness,Hysterical Blindness,Legal Blindness,Monocular Blindness,Sudden Visual Losses,Transient Blindness,Visual Loss, Sudden
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
D012193	Reversal Learning	Any situation where an animal or human is trained to respond differentially to two stimuli (e.g., approach and avoidance) under reward and punishment conditions and subsequently trained under reversed reward values (i.e., the approach which was previously rewarded is punished and vice versa).	Learning, Reversal,Learnings, Reversal,Reversal Learnings
D013028	Space Perception	The awareness of the spatial properties of objects; includes physical space.	Perception, Space,Perceptions, Space,Space Perceptions