Influence of Environmental and Nutritional Factors on Problem Solving in the Rat

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Abstract
Rat pups were randomly cross-fostered to lactating dams which were maintained on either 21% casein diet or a 12% casein diet by weight. At 21 days of age the pups fostered with dams receiving 21% casein continued on the high protein diet. The pups fostered with the dams receiving the 12% casein diet were placed either on a low protein diet consisting of 5% casein by weight or on a 21% casein diet provided in restricted amounts in order to maintain their weight equal to that of the animals weaned to the 5% casein diet. Throughout the 8-wk. period in which the dietary regimes were imposed, the pups were housed individually either in spatially, tactually, and visually enriched, or impoverished environments. At 11 wk. of age all of the animals were rehabilitated and maintained on the 21% high protein diet for the remainder of the experiment. When problem-solving ability was measured by performance in the Hebb-Williams maze, the low-protein animals reared in impoverished environments exhibited the greatest latencies to leave the start box, spent the longest time within the maze enclosure, and made the greatest number of errors Conversely, the high-protein animals reared in the enriched environments showed the shortest latencies, spent less time in the maze, and made the fewest errors.

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