Enriched environment prevents chronic stress-induced spatial learning and memory deficits

• Published in: Behavioural brain research Vol. 187; no. 1; pp. 41 - 47
• Main Authors: Wright, Ryan L., Conrad, Cheryl D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier B.V 11.02.2008; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Animals; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - physiology; Child clinical studies; Chronic Disease; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Developmental disorders; Environment; Environmental enrichment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Housing, Animal; Learning Disabilities - etiology; Learning Disabilities - prevention & control; Learning Disabilities - psychology; Learning disorders; Male; Maze Learning - physiology; Medical sciences; Memory Disorders - epidemiology; Memory Disorders - prevention & control; Memory Disorders - psychology; Morris water maze; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reference memory; restraint; Space Perception - physiology; Stress; Stress, Psychological - complications; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Swimming - psychology; Temperature; Water temperature; Y-maze; Reference memory; Morris water maze; Environmental enrichment; Water temperature; Stress; Y-maze; restraint; Memory disorder; Temperature; Cognitive disorder; Cognition; Space perception; Stimulating environment; Chronic; Acquisition process; Learning disability; Restraint; Perceptive learning; Spatial memory

Chronic stress impairs spatial memory and alters hippocampal structure, which are changed in the opposite direction following enriched environment (EE). Therefore, this study incorporated these two paradigms to determine whether EE would prevent chronic stress from impairing spatial learning and mem...