[Does Impulsivity Affect a Long-term and Working Memory in rats?].

Abstract

In the present paper usingthe method of delay discounting three groups of animals were discovered: a) those that at choice between immediate weak and delayed strong rewards have chosen an immediate reinforcement (high impulsive rats); b) those that were able to inhibit its own behavior and get the delayed reinforcement (low impulsive rats); and c) the rats with both types of reactions. In the water maze the different groups of rats did find a hidden platform for different time, swum various distance and with different speed. The differences however were significant only at overall comparison (for all days and trials) of the above mentioned parameters of the water maze learning. ANOVAs Group x Days, Group x Trials, and Groups x Days x Trials interactions were insignificant. The data obtained indicate that the difference between groups was appeared evidently due to the difference in general motor activity, rather than difference in their cognitive abilities assessed by reference and working memory tasks.