Premium
Spatial learning deficit in the rat after exposure to a 60 Hz magnetic field
Author(s) -
Lai Henry
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
bioelectromagnetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.435
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-186X
pISSN - 0197-8462
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-186x(1996)17:6<494::aid-bem9>3.0.co;2-z
Subject(s) - physostigmine , spatial learning , cholinergic , neuroscience , agonist , open field , psychology , audiology , magnetic field , medicine , physics , cognition , receptor , quantum mechanics
Rats were trained in ten daily sessions to perform in a 12‐arm radial maze, which is a behavioral test for spatial memory functions. Exposure to a 60 Hz magnetic field (45 min, 0.75 mT) immediately before each training session retarded learning significantly. Pretreatment with the cholinergic agonist physostigmine before magnetic field exposure reversed the field's effect on spatial learning. Data from this experiment indicate that magnetic field‐induced spatial learning deficit is caused by the effect of the field on cholinergic systems. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.