TY - JOUR
T1 - Chronic corticosterone treatment impairs spontaneous alternation behavior in rats
AU - Bardgett, Mark E.
AU - Taylor, George T.
AU - Csernansky, John G.
AU - Newcomer, John W.
AU - Nock, Bruce
N1 - Funding Information:
i The authors thank Wendy Hopfer, Shahram Jamabaladi, Jeff Scherrer, and Michele Wich for their expert technical assistance. We also thank David Wozniak for his helpful comments. Mark Bardgett was a recipient of a Dissertation Fellowship from the University of Missouri and an American Psychological Association Dissertation Award. This work was also supported, in part, by a Scientist Development Award (MH01045) to John Newcomer, a Research Scientist Development Award (DA00157) to Bruce Nock, and Grant DA05816. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Mark E. Bardgett, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8134, 4940 Children's Place, St. Louis, MO 63110, Fax: (314) 362-2099.
PY - 1994/3
Y1 - 1994/3
N2 - The present study used behavioral and morphological measures to assess hippocampal integrity in adult male rats after 8 weeks of daily corticosterone (10 mg/kg) injections. Behavioral testing during the final week of treatment revealed that spontaneous alternation behavior, a behavioral marker of hippocampal damage, was reduced in experimental animals without influencing exploration. Physiological assessment indicated that steroid exposure produced functional changes characteristic of prolonged exposure to stress or elevated plasma corticosterone, i.e., lower body weight and thymic involution. However, hippocampal cell loss was not observed in experimental rats. The data suggest that prolonged elevation of plasma corticosterone may significantly disrupt a hippocampal-sensitive behavior without producing gross morphological changes.
AB - The present study used behavioral and morphological measures to assess hippocampal integrity in adult male rats after 8 weeks of daily corticosterone (10 mg/kg) injections. Behavioral testing during the final week of treatment revealed that spontaneous alternation behavior, a behavioral marker of hippocampal damage, was reduced in experimental animals without influencing exploration. Physiological assessment indicated that steroid exposure produced functional changes characteristic of prolonged exposure to stress or elevated plasma corticosterone, i.e., lower body weight and thymic involution. However, hippocampal cell loss was not observed in experimental rats. The data suggest that prolonged elevation of plasma corticosterone may significantly disrupt a hippocampal-sensitive behavior without producing gross morphological changes.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0028174433&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0163-1047(05)80074-3
DO - 10.1016/S0163-1047(05)80074-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 8204085
AN - SCOPUS:0028174433
SN - 0163-1047
VL - 61
SP - 186
EP - 190
JO - Behavioral and Neural Biology
JF - Behavioral and Neural Biology
IS - 2
ER -