Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 29
Electrophysiology and Morris Water Maze to Assess
Hippocampal Function After Experimental
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Asma Tariq and R. Loch Macdonald
Abstract
Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a devastating disease that affects about 10 of every
100,000 people per year. Studies suggest that about 15% of patients die before admission to hospital and
an additional 25% die within 1 month of admission. Survivors often have memory and cognitive defi cits
that persist for years after the ictus. The hippocampal formation and long-term potentiation (LTP), a form
of synaptic plasticity at hippocampal synapses, has been postulated to be involved in cognitive functions,
such as learning and memory. Therefore, assessing hippocampal function after SAH in animal models
might promote better understanding of mechanisms underlying memory and learning impairment that
develop after SAH. In mice or rats, hippocampal function can be assessed at a neuronal level using electro-
physiology and at a behavioral level using Morris water maze. This chapter focuses on the history,
methodology, and variations in these techniques.
Key words:
Subarachnoid hemorrhage, Hippocampus, Morris water maze, CA1, Synaptic plasticity
1. Introduction
The hippocampus is widely believed to play a role in many
cognitive functions, particularly in memory and learning. The
severe amnesia following a temporal lobe resection in a patient (
1
)
triggered interest in this fi eld leading to characterization of hip-
pocampal involvement in declarative memory (
2
), recollection (
3
),
explicit memory (
4
), and relational memory (
5
). Cognitive map
theory explains a widely accepted function of hippocampus stating
that hippocampal cells known as place cells process the spatial
relationships between different locations in the environment which
is subsequently crucial for its role in spatial memory in different
Search WWH ::
Custom Search