Do rats have a hippocampus?
The hippocampal formation is a bilateral structure sandwiched between the cerebral cortex and the thalamus. Figure 1 depicts a reconstruction of the hippocampus (yellow) in its three-dimensional (3D) position within the rat’s brain.
Where is the hippocampus located in rats?
The hippocampal formation is a C-shaped structure, positioned posteriorly in the hemisphere of the rat brain (Figs. 1A, A′), bordering on the septal complex dorsally and the amygdaloid complex ventrally.
How similar are rat and human brains?
Even though the rat brain is smaller and less complex than the human brain, research has shown that the two are remarkably similar in structure and function. Both consist of a vast amount of highly connected neurons that are constantly talking to each other.
Is novel object recognition hippocampal dependent?
The hippocampal lesion group did exhibit a relationship between object exploration time and novel object preference (r = −0.33, P < 0.05), but this finding was driven primarily by five poor-performing rats (of the 44 total) that explored the objects more during the familiarization than all the other rats.
Why are rats used in neuroscience?
The most important reason for using rats and mice in research is to model aspects of human physiology and function, most notably to advance our understanding of human diseases.
How intelligent are rats compared to other animals?
Rats and mice are highly intelligent rodents. Rats are considerably smaller than dogs, but they are at least as capable of thinking about things and figuring them out as dogs are! And, while rats are much smaller than elephants, they have excellent memories.
What causes hippocampus damage?
Damage to hippocampus can occur through many causes including head trauma, ischemia, stroke, status epilepticus and Alzheimer’s disease.
Is entorhinal cortex part of hippocampus?
The entorhinal cortex is part of the medial temporal lobe or hippocampal memory system and constitutes the major gateway between the hippocampal formation and the neocortex.
Is EC part of hippocampus?
The entorhinal cortex (EC) is a major part of the hippocampal formation of the brain, and is reciprocally connected with the hippocampus.
What is the function of the hippocampus in rodents?
In rodents, the hippocampus has been studied extensively as part of the brain system responsible for spatial memory and navigation. Many neurons in the rat and mouse hippocampus respond as place cells: that is, they fire bursts of action potentials when the animal passes through a specific part of its environment.
Where is the hippocampus located in the brain?
The hippocampus is located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain. In this lateral view of the human brain, the frontal lobe is at left, the occipital lobe at right, and the temporal and parietal lobes have largely been removed to reveal the hippocampus underneath. NeuroNames hier-164 [1] MeSH Hippocampus [2]
What kind of plasticity occurs in the hippocampus?
The form of neural plasticity known as long-term potentiation (LTP) was first discovered to occur in the hippocampus and has often been studied in this structure. LTP is widely believed to be one of the main neural mechanisms by which memory is stored in the brain.
How is the hippocampus affected by Alzheimer’s disease?
In Alzheimer’s disease the hippocampus is one of the first regions of the brain to suffer damage; memory problems and disorientation appear among the first symptoms. Damage to the hippocampus can also result from oxygen starvation (hypoxia), encephalitis, or medial temporal lobe epilepsy.