Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons^™

Spatial Learning Deficit In The Hiv-1 Transgenic Rat: Discerning Place From Strategy Learning, Abigail Lashomb

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

HIV -1 infection is associated with a constellation of cognitive and motor deficits collectively termed HIV associated dementia. With the onset of HAART treatment, these cognitive effects have become more mild, but also more prevalent. The lack of a proper animal model to study these cognitive effects of HIV has lead to the development of a new transgenic rat. This rat expresses the HIV -1 genome with functional tat and gp 120 viral proteins. These proteins are linked with direct neural toxicity as well as the induction of cytokines and other indirect means of neuronal damage. As part of the …