Understanding Learning And Memory With The Morris Water...

Chioma M. Nwokochah BIO 482L Lab Report 18 October 2015 Understanding Learning and Memory with the Morris Water Maze Abstract The overstimulation of GABA inhibitory receptors in the hippocampus has been found to obstruct spatial learning and memory. Ethanol was administered to male Swiss Webster mice in low and high doses in order to test its pharmacological effects on memory. The Morris water maze experiment was conducted as the experimental basis of understanding ethanol’s capacity to inhibit and/or suppress cognition, specifically memory in the hippocampus. Three individually marked, male, 47 day-old Swiss Webster mice per 5 groups were used to conduct the Morris water maze experiment. The average time spent in the water amongst all 3 experimental groups decreased post-injection; with the 10% ethanol treated mice having the best memory recall. There were a few factors that may have contributed to the surprising results of the experiment, such as a small sample size and varying tolerance levels. Understanding the role of GABA and glutamate in cognition can provide the foundation for further researc h and experimentation of memory formation and recall in the hippocampus. Introduction Learning and memory have been topics of particular interest to neuroscientists and neurophysiologists alike for several years and have become a phenomenon in scientific research and behavioral neuroscience. The hippocampus is the control station of spatial learning and memory inShow MoreRelatedSpatial Learning And Memory At Acute And Chronic Sleep Deprivation Essay1308 Words   |  6 PagesSpatial learning and memory are very important to humans in their everyday life. It helps them remember where they parked their car, how to get from home to work, or how to get to the hospital in an emergency. 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