Patrick Ouellette
Saint Anselm College
The Effects of Trimethyltim
on working and
reference memory in the
CF1 mouse
The purpose
of this experiment was to look at the effects of Trimethyltin on working
and reference memory in the CF1 mouse. Trimethyltin,
(TMT), is an organotin that has been found to have highly detrimental effects
upon the the brain, specifically the hippocampus. TMT is a neurotoxin
that is used in many commercial as well as medical purposes. These
include the production of pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, and acne
medication. Cf1 mice were trained in two tasks, reference and working
memory. The reference memory task consisted of all mice finding a
submerged platform from start position one. Once criterion for this
task was met the experimental group was administered TMT and a seven day
recovery period was observed. The mice then were placed at novel
start location, start position two. The performance was then assessed
by comparing the control and experimental time to locate the platform location.
As hypothesized, the experimental group displayed an inability to locate
the platform location from the novel start location. This illustrated
that working memory was impaired due to TMT.
Key Words: Trimethyltin, Working and Reference Memory,
Hippocampus
Instrument: Morris Water Maze
Y.O.G. 1999
Related Topics:
*For More Information or a copy of thesis
contact me at pouellet@hawk.anselm.edu
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Information
on TMT toxicity and side effects