Cognitive functional tests of an animal can be divided into two categories, attentive and recollection tests, both of which will be examined in this experiment. [ref 1] The memory test is the Morris Water Maze and the attentive test is the Pre-Pulse Inhibition test. Both tests in this experiment are exercise different parts of the brain, the Water Maze exercises the hippocampus, and the Pre-Pulse Inhibition exercises the brainstem.
The Water Maze experiment is an exercise regarding the hippocampus of the brain, the main centre for creating and storing memories [http://psycheducation.org/brain-tours/memory-learning-and-emotion-the-hippocampus]. There are two types of memory in animals, working and reference memory. The reference memory is further …show more content…
This test examines actions that occur in the brainstem region, as opposed to the hippocampus region as examined previously. [http://www.panlab.com/en/tests-solutions/prepulse-inhibition-of-startle-reflex-test-ppi] Pre-pulse inhibition is mediated by the brainstem and its components beginning by being recognised by the inferior and superior colliculus, travelling through to the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus further along through other components until it reaches the caudal pontine reticular nucleus before a motor output is determined. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11549224, https://openi.nlm.nih.gov/detailedresult.php?img=PMC1479352_1471-2202-7-38-1&req=4] The pre-pulse inhibition test is a test where the animal is exposed to a pulse at a certain decibel before a louder sound is played, and the animal’s startle is recorded. If the pre-pulse is not loud enough, or the animal is reared in a way that pre-pulse has a lesser effect on the startle inhibition, the startle of the animal is quite high and so the brainstem components would not be as effective as they would be in other circumstances**
In both cases, the Morris Water Maze and Pre-Pulse inhibition tests, drugs can be used to alter the activity of neurotransmitters in the brain which causes a change in the action of the animal’s …show more content…
While there is a small standard deviation from the mean, the average of the six values in each trial still shows a definite decrease in the amount of time that is necessary for the animal to reach the platform when placed in the Morris Water Maze. The standard error backs up this claim as well. While doing the experiment, two hypotheses were created, the null and alternative hypotheses, in order to see whether the results happened incidentally or if it was an accurate result. The experimenter’s null hypothesis, the hypothesis that was intended to be disproved, was that the animals would not become faster at travelling to the platform. The alternative hypothesis was that the animals would be able to travel to the platform faster. As seen by the means and the graph, the animal did, in fact, reach the platform in a shorter average time in the fifth trial than in the first. The most likely cause of this was that the animal found and memorised the location of the platform and so, when placed in the same water maze with the same surroundings, knew how to use its surrounding stimuli to get to the platform quicker. Another alternative option was that the animals learn to swim faster. This, however, was less likely as the animal would not have such a significant decrease in the time it took to get to the platform as the speed of
The Water Maze experiment is an exercise regarding the hippocampus of the brain, the main centre for creating and storing memories [http://psycheducation.org/brain-tours/memory-learning-and-emotion-the-hippocampus]. There are two types of memory in animals, working and reference memory. The reference memory is further …show more content…
This test examines actions that occur in the brainstem region, as opposed to the hippocampus region as examined previously. [http://www.panlab.com/en/tests-solutions/prepulse-inhibition-of-startle-reflex-test-ppi] Pre-pulse inhibition is mediated by the brainstem and its components beginning by being recognised by the inferior and superior colliculus, travelling through to the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus further along through other components until it reaches the caudal pontine reticular nucleus before a motor output is determined. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11549224, https://openi.nlm.nih.gov/detailedresult.php?img=PMC1479352_1471-2202-7-38-1&req=4] The pre-pulse inhibition test is a test where the animal is exposed to a pulse at a certain decibel before a louder sound is played, and the animal’s startle is recorded. If the pre-pulse is not loud enough, or the animal is reared in a way that pre-pulse has a lesser effect on the startle inhibition, the startle of the animal is quite high and so the brainstem components would not be as effective as they would be in other circumstances**
In both cases, the Morris Water Maze and Pre-Pulse inhibition tests, drugs can be used to alter the activity of neurotransmitters in the brain which causes a change in the action of the animal’s …show more content…
While there is a small standard deviation from the mean, the average of the six values in each trial still shows a definite decrease in the amount of time that is necessary for the animal to reach the platform when placed in the Morris Water Maze. The standard error backs up this claim as well. While doing the experiment, two hypotheses were created, the null and alternative hypotheses, in order to see whether the results happened incidentally or if it was an accurate result. The experimenter’s null hypothesis, the hypothesis that was intended to be disproved, was that the animals would not become faster at travelling to the platform. The alternative hypothesis was that the animals would be able to travel to the platform faster. As seen by the means and the graph, the animal did, in fact, reach the platform in a shorter average time in the fifth trial than in the first. The most likely cause of this was that the animal found and memorised the location of the platform and so, when placed in the same water maze with the same surroundings, knew how to use its surrounding stimuli to get to the platform quicker. Another alternative option was that the animals learn to swim faster. This, however, was less likely as the animal would not have such a significant decrease in the time it took to get to the platform as the speed of