Publication Date
2008
Document Type
Thesis
Committee Members
Dragana Claflin (Advisor), Timothy Cope (Committee Chair), Michael Hennessey (Committee Member), Larry Ream (Committee Member), Joseph Thomas (Other)
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Abstract
The effects of postnatal injections of choline on the acquisition of two variants of eyeblink conditioning were examined in developing Long-Evans rat pups. Choline administration on postnatal days (PND) 15-27 was followed by evaluation of trace eyeblink conditioning (Experiment 1) and delay eyeblink conditioning (Experiment 2) on PND 28-29. The results of these experiments show that choline produced greater improvements in learning and memory during the trace condition than in the delay condition, presumably due to its effect on the hippocampus. Trace eyeblink conditioning relies heavily on an intact hippocampus but delay eyeblink conditioning does not, and it is understood that choline has a positive influence on hippocampal function. This was the first study to examine the effects of choline on eyeblink conditioning and provides baseline data for future research into the beneficial effects of choline for this type of learning as well as its potential neuroprotective effects for the hippocampus.
Page Count
46
Department or Program
Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Physiology
Year Degree Awarded
2008
Copyright
Copyright 2008, all rights reserved. This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.
