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Abstract:
It is well known that the hippocampus is important for
learning and memory. However, it is not known whether the
hippocampus also plays a role in non-memory related functions.
Recently we have reported that early life exposures to a novel
environment modified both paw dominance and hippocampal asymmetry
but in opposite directions. Therefore, in this study we examined
the relationship between these anatomical and behavioral
asymmetries. Paw preference and reaching proficiency in Long-Evans
hooded rats (n = 35) were measured using a reach-to-grasp task when
the animals were 6 weeks and 7.5 months old. Two days after the
last test, brains were extracted and fixed. Volumetric measurements
of the left and right hippocampi were obtained from creysl-violet
stained slices. We found that the greater the dominance of the
hippocampus contralateral to the dominant paw, the the greater the
reaching proficiency of the dominant paw (Rs = 0.342, p<0.025).
This result suggests that either the hippocampus influences
sensory-motor integration through hippocampal-cortical interaction,
or both the hippocampus and sensory-motor cortices are innervated
by common inputs.
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