3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), an important recreational psychostimulant drug, was examined for its ability to alter visuo-spatial learning and synaptic plasticity. Young rats received MDMA (0.2 and 2mg/kg s.c.) twice per day for 6 days while their visuo-spatial learning was tested using the Morris Water Maze. After this, animals were sacrificed and LTP induced in hippocampal slices. Visuo-spatial learning was impaired and LTP reduced, both dose-dependently, without changes in serotonin levels or paired-pulse facilitation. We conclude that low, nontoxic doses of MDMA, applied during several days, slow learning by impairing postsynaptic plasticity.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2009.12.031 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Probing Sensorimotor Memory through the Human Speech-Audiomotor System.
J Neurophysiol
December 2024
Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Our knowledge of human sensorimotor learning and memory is predominantly based on the visuo-spatial workspace and limb movements. Humans also have a remarkable ability to produce and perceive speech sounds. We asked if the human speech-auditory system could serve as a model to characterize retention of sensorimotor memory in a workspace which is functionally independent of the visuo-spatial one.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe relation of verbal and nonverbal skills to basic numerical processing of preterm versus term-born preschoolers.
J Exp Child Psychol
March 2025
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA. Electronic address:
Article Synopsis
- - The study explores how verbal and nonverbal skills impact children's numerical development, particularly comparing preterm-born (PTB) and term-born children, revealing that PTB kids are more likely to struggle with certain numerical tasks like cardinality.
- - Individual differences in both groups show that while verbal and nonverbal skills influence numerical performance, their effects vary significantly based on gestational age, with stronger verbal skills leading to better performance in older preterm children.
- - By focusing on individual differences rather than just group averages, the research highlights the importance of understanding unique developmental paths to better identify risk and protective factors in children's numerical learning.
Visuo-spatial compound stimuli discrimination with (Gryllus pennsylvanicus) in two-choices rewarding learning tasks.
Anim Cogn
November 2024
Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how the cricket species Gryllus pennsylvanicus can distinguish between two different compound visual motifs using an operant conditioning method.
- It employs a Y-maze setup where the crickets are exposed to colored visual cues linked to a water reward.
- Findings indicate that the crickets successfully learned to differentiate the visual patterns and associated them with the reward, demonstrating their ability to recognize visuo-spatial regularities.
Blending simulation and abstraction for physical reasoning.
Cognition
January 2025
Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford St, Cambridge MA 02138, USA; Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, MIT, 43 Vassar St, Cambridge 02139, USA.
How are people able to understand everyday physical events with such ease? One hypothesis suggests people use an approximate probabilistic simulation of the world. A contrasting hypothesis is that people use a collection of abstractions or features. While it has been noted that the two hypotheses explain complementary aspects of physical reasoning, there has yet to be a model of how these two modes of reasoning can be used together.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMathematics skills in children with genetic generalized epilepsy: Cognitive and clinical correlates. Preliminary results.
Epilepsy Behav
December 2024
School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address:
Impairments in mathematics have been found in children with Genetic Generalized Epilepsy (GGE), yet little is known about the underpinnings of these difficulties. The aim of this study was to investigate basic numeracy and secondary mathematics skills in GGE and explore cognitive and clinical correlates that relate to those skills. Nineteen children with GGE and 22 typically developing controls aged 8-16 years completed a neuropsychological battery which assessed: (i) basic numeracy skills: non-symbolic and symbolic magnitude comparison; (ii) secondary mathematics skills: calculation, reasoning, and fluency; and (iii) cognitive skills: intelligence, fluid reasoning, processing speed, and working memory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!