Learning Deficit in Mature Rats Recovered from Early Post-Natal Infection With West Nile Virus

Abstract

Summary

Our data indicate that West Nile virus, injected intracerebrally into 12-day-old rats, affects their ability to learn a moderately complex maze. After 13 learning trials approximately 90% of control animals had learned the maze, while no more than 60% of virus-infected animals had errorless runs after 15 trials. The memory loss of virus-treated animals following a period of 20 days between runs was proportionately no greater than that for controls.