Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Introgression of Brown Norway Chromosome 13 Improves Visual Spatial Memory in the Dahl S Rat

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Behavior Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study was conducted in an effort to evaluate whether chromosomal substitution can repair impaired exploration learning and memory. It has previously been observed that Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rodents exhibit impaired cognitive function along with abnormal physiological responses to muscle stimulation. Introgression of Brown Norway chromosome (13BN) has been found to restore normal physiological processes in SS animals. However, the effect of chromosomal substitution on cognitive performance has not been explored. It was hypothesized that 13BN also rescues cognitive impairments in these animals. Visual spatial learning and cognitive flexibility were evaluated using the Morris water maze (MWM) and the T-maze. This manipulation is effective in rescuing impaired task acquisition, but not perseveration observed in the SS animal. These animals may represent a natural animal model in which to isolate genetic information responsible for learning and memory function.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Altman J, Das GD (1966) Autoradiographic and histological studies of postnatal neurogenesis. I. A longitudinal investigation of the kinetics, migration and transformation of cells incorporating tritiated thymidine in neonate rats, with special reference to postnatal neurogenesis in some brain regions. J Comp Neurol 126:337–389

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Amaral SL, Papanek PE, Greene AS (2001a) Angiotensin II and VEGF are involved in angiogenesis induced by short-term exercise training. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 281:H1163–H1169

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Amaral SL, Roman RJ, Greene AS (2001b) Renin gene transfer restores angiogenesis and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in Dahl S rats. Hypertension 37:386–390

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Black JE, Isaacs KR, Anderson BJ, Alcantara AA, Greenough WT (1990) Learning causes synaptogenesis, whereas motor activity causes angiogenesis, in cerebellar cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 87: 5568–5572

    Google Scholar 

  • Chudasama Y, Robbins TW (2003) Dissociable contributions of the orbitofrontal and infralimbic cortex to Pavlovian autoshaping and discrimination reversal learning: further evidence for the functional heterogeneity of the rodent frontal cortex. J Neurosci 23:8771–8780

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cowley AW, Roman RJ, Kaldunksi ML, Dumas P, Dickhout JG, Greene AS et al (2001) Brown Norway chromosome 13 confers protection from high salt to consomic Dahl S rat. Hypertension 37:456–461

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cowley AW, Roman RJ, Jacob HJ (2003) Application of chromosomal substitution techniques in gene-function discovery. J Physiol 554.1:46–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowley AW, Liang M, Roman RJ, Greene AS, Jacob HJ (2004) Consomic rat model systems for physiological genomics. Acta Physiol Scand 181:585–592

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dahl LK, Heine M, Tassinari L (1962) Effects of chronic excess salt ingestion: evidence that genetic factors play an important role in susceptibility to experimental hypertension. J Exp Med 115:1173–1190

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • de Resende MM, Amaral SL, Munzenmaier DH, Greene AS (2006) Role of endothelial cell apoptosis in regulation of skeletal muscle angiogenesis during high and low salt intake. Physiol Genomics 25:325–335

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson PS, Perfilieva E, Bjork-Eriksson T, Alborn A, Nordborg C, Peterson DA, Gage FH (1998) Neurogenesis in the adult human hippocampus. Nat Med 4(11):1313–1317

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fujiyama S, Matsubara H, Nozawa Y, Maruyama K, Mori Y, Tsutsumi Y et al (2001) Angiotensin AT1 and AT2 receptors differentially regulate Angiopoietin-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor expression and angiogenesis by modulating heparin binding-epidermal growth factor (EGF)-mediated EGF receptor transactivation. Circ Res 88:22–29

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greene AS (2002) Application of physiological genomics to the microcirculation. Microcirculation 9:3–12

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gustafsson T, Puntschart A, Kaijser L, Jansson E, Sundberg CJ (1999) Exercise-induced expression of angiogenesis-related transcription and growth factors in human skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 45:H679–H685

    Google Scholar 

  • Isaacs KR, Anderson BJ, Alcantara AA, Black JE, Greenough WT (1992) Exercise and the brain: angiogenesis in the adult rat cerebellum after vigorous physical activity and motor skill learning. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 12:110–119

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan MS, Hinds JW (1977) Neurogenesis in the adult rat: electron microscopic analysis of light autoradiographs. Science 197:1092–1094

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kempermann G, Kuhn HG, Gage FH (1998) Experience-induced neurogenesis in the senescent dentate gyrus. J Neurosci 18(9):3206–3212

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kleim JA, Cooper NR, Vandenberg PM (2002) Exercise induces angiogenesis but does not alter movement representations within rat motor cortex. Brain Res 934:1–6

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Knudsen KD, Dahl LK, Thompson K, Iwai J, Heine M, Leitl G (1970) Effects of chronic salt ingestion: inheritance of hypertension in the rat. J Exp Med 132:976–1000

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lacroix L, White I, Feldon J (2002) Effect of excitotoxic lesions of rat medial prefrontal cortex on spatial memory. Behav Brain Res 133:69–81

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lalonde R, Manseau M, Botez MI (1987) Spontaneous alternation and habituation in Purkinje cell degeneration mutant mice. Brain Res 411:187–189

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee JE, Didier DN, Lockett MR, Scalf M, Greene AS, Olivier M et al (2007) Characterization of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors on the endothelial cell surface during hypoxia using whole cell binding arrays. Anal Biochem 369:241–247

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liang M, Yuan B, Rute E, Greene A, Olivier M, Cowley A (2002) Insights into Dahl salt-sensitive hypertension revealed by temporal patterns of renal medullary gene expression. Physiol Genomics 12:229–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Munzenmaier DH, Greene AS (2006) Chronic angiotensin II AT1 receptor blockade increases cerebral cortical microvessel density. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 290:H512–H516

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson M, Perfilieva E, Johansson U, Orwar O, Eriksson PS (1999) Enriched environment increases neurogenesis in the adult rat dentate gyrus and improves spatial memory. J Neurobiol 39:569–578

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Passetti F, Chudasama Y, Robbins TW (2002) The frontal cortex of the rat and visual attentional performance: dissociable functions of distinct medial prefrontal subregions. Cereb Cortex 12:1254–1268

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Periera AC, Huddleston DE, Brickman AM, Sosunov AA, Hen R, McKahnn GM et al (2007) An in vivo correlate of exercise-induced neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104:5638–5643

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen MC, Munzenmaier DH, Greene AS (2006) Angiotensin II infusion restores stimulated angiogenesis in the skeletal muscle of rats on a high-salt diet. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 291:H114–H120

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rapp JP (1982) Dahl salt-susceptible and salt-resistant rats: a review. Hypertension 4:753–763

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz-Opazo N, Lopez LV, Tonkiss J (2004) Modulation of learning and memory in Dahl rats by dietary salt restriction. Hypertension 43:797–802

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schackow E, Dahl LK (1966) Effects of chronic salt ingestion: lack of gross salt retention in salt-hypertension. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 122(4):952–957

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Swain RA, Harris AB, Wiener EC, Dutka MV, Morris HD, Theien BE et al (2003) Prolonged exercise induces angiogenesis and increases cerebral blood volume in primary motor cortex of the rat. Neuroscience 117:1037–1046

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Terry AV Jr, Hernandez CM, Buccafusco JJ (2001) Dahl salt-sensitive and salt-resistant rats: examination of learning and memory performance, blood pressure, and the expression of central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Neuroscience 103:351–363

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Praag H, Shubert T, Zhao C, Gage FH (2005) Exercise enhances learning and hippocampal neurogenesis in aged mice. J Neurosci 25:8680–8685

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf C, Waksman D, Finger S, Almli CR (1987) Large and small medial frontal cortex lesions and spatial performance of the rat. Brain Res Bull 18:1–5

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to thank Matthew Wolter, Betsy Abroe, Kevin Koenigs, and Rebecca Habersat of PhysioGenix, Inc. for technical assistance. Authors would also like to thank PhysioGenix, Inc. for providing the animals used in this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Garland 224, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2441 E. Hartford Ave., Milwaukee, WI, 53211, USA

    Abigail L. Kerr, Megan L. Hensel, Todd C. Peterson, Lee O. Villatoro & Rodney A. Swain

  2. PhysioGenix, Inc., Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Steven H. Nye

Authors
  1. Abigail L. Kerr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Megan L. Hensel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Todd C. Peterson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lee O. Villatoro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Steven H. Nye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Rodney A. Swain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rodney A. Swain.

Additional information

Edited by Stephen Maxson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kerr, A.L., Hensel, M.L., Peterson, T.C. et al. Introgression of Brown Norway Chromosome 13 Improves Visual Spatial Memory in the Dahl S Rat. Behav Genet 40, 76–84 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-009-9296-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-009-9296-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation