Abstract
There are many factors affecting our memory. The lapse of time between the acquisition and retrieval of information seems to be crucial because the intervening consolidation processes make a lasting engram. In this study, spatial memory was tested in 30day-old male and female Wistar rats by increasing delays between the acquisition phase and the probe test in the Morris water maze. Three groups of female rats were assessed with 1min, 6h and 12h delays as well as a male group tested with a result of a 12h delay. Results of the probe test revealed an adequate performance in males but a tendency in females to search for the missing platform in an incorrect place when long delays had occurred after acquisition (between 6 to 12h delays). These results suggest that females form a weaker representation of the environment than males, and such representation may be altered over time.
