Open AccessSerotonin-depleted rats are capable of learning in active place avoidance, a spatial task requiring cognitive coordination
Author(s) -
Tomáš Petrásek,
Aleš Stuchlı́k
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
physiological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.647
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1802-9973
pISSN - 0862-8408
DOI - 10.33549/physiolres.931729
Subject(s) - serotonin , neuroscience , cognition , neurotransmitter , spatial learning , psychology , hippocampus , avoidance learning , task (project management) , neurotransmission , medicine , central nervous system , receptor , management , economics
Neurotransmitter substrate of spatial cognition belongs to currenttopics in behavioral neuroscience. The present study examinedthe effects of serotonin depletion with p-chlorophenylalanine onlearning of rats in active place avoidance, a spatial task requiringallothetic mapping and cognitive coordination and highlydependent upon hippocampus. Serotonin depletion transientlyincreased locomotor activity in response to footshocks, but it didnot change the avoidance efficiency measured by three spatialparameters. These results suggest that serotoninneurotransmission is not crucial for cognitive coordination andallothetic learning, i.e. the processes, which are crucial for activeplace avoidance performance.