Following vibrissae removal in early ontogenesis from P1 (post-natal day 1) to P30, three-month old rats were trained to run for food in an 8-arm radial maze. Training started at the age of three months. Adult rats demonstrated ability to perform the behavioral task; however, their performance was not as good as in the control group. Our findings revealed the differences in the rats exploratory strategy and key behavioral tactics of entering the maze arms at a certain angle. The results show that active vibrissae sensing plays an important role in shaping rat behavioral tactics during spatial learning in the 8-arm radial maze.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)256-260
JournalBiological Communications
Volume62
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

    Research areas

  • ontogenesis, Behavior, vibrissae, sensory deprivation, Spatial learning

    Scopus subject areas

  • Neuroscience(all)

ID: 23916529