Biology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biology - Research Paper Example Therefore the hypothesis is that "Light deprivation during fetal development and infancy affect the brain function during adulthood". Since this experiment cannot be performed on humans, we need to test this hypothesis in rat model for light deprivation. There will be three sets of experiments, viz., 1. Light deprivation of mother during fetal development (pre-natal). 2. Light deprivation after birth (post natal) for 6 weeks. 3. Light deprivation during fetal development and after birth (both pre-natal and post-natal). Pregnant mothers will be either reared in dark. The pups born to these mothers will be either grown in dark (group 3) or normal light cycle, i.e., 12 hours light followed by 12 hours dark (group 1) for six weeks. Alternatively, pregnant mothers will be reared in normal light and the pups born to these mothers will be reared in dark for six weeks (group 2). All other variables like room temperature, humidity, access to food, quality of food and water will remain constant. After six weeks, the animals will be tested for learning behavior, by a T-maze. In a T-maze, the reward (food) can be placed at on e end and the hungry rat is allowed to choose the arm several times. The number of trails it takes the animal to choose the correct arm gives a measure of its learning capability. Atleast 6-8 animals will be tested in each group and the number of trails recorded.