The Effect of Strychnine Administration during Development on Adult Maze Learning in the Rat

Abstract

Summary. Strychnine sulphate administered to rats during post-natal de velopment affected the rate of maze learning in adulthood. Rats given the drug in a rich environment (drug-rich group) learned a maze at a faster rate than rats treated similarly but raised in laboratory cages (drug-caged group). The performance of rats given no drug was intermediate to that of the drug-rich and drug-caged groups. Hebb (1958) has shown that altered environment during development can modify behavior in adulthood. In addition, it has been suggested that strychnine and related drugs may affect the animal's perception of his environment during the period when the drug is active Method Twenty male and 20 female rats of the K strain, descendants of crosses between Tryon's Sl and S3 strain