A Swimming Task Used to Assess Performance of Rats.
Abstract
The purpose of this experiment was to ascertain the feasibility of using a swimming task as a sensitivity measure of performance. Three task parameters were evaluated: rat trainability, mode of data distribution, and task sensitivity. To determine the trainability, 52 rats were trained on the swim task. The trained animals were exposed to ionizing radiation, pyridostigmine, or a combination of both, and then tested on the swim task to determine the task sensitivity. The results of the training showed rats to be easily trained to the task. The training data indicated that the task was essentially a single-trial learning task with a near-normal data distribution. The radiation/drug experiment, however, did not show the task to be a sensitive measure of motor ability. The animals receiving major physiological insults (ionizing radiation and/or pyridostigmine exposure) performed the task as well as controls. Originator - furnished keywords include: Behavioral task, Radiation exposure, Pyridostigmine.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA149939
Entities
People
- L. B. Anderson
- T. G. Wheeler
Organizations
- United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine