Drugs prevent rats from learning

2003/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza

Neuroscientists at Alberta's Lethbridge University have conducted a series of experiments with young rats to check whether or not drugs affect the mind. For twenty days they donated amphetamines and cocaine to the rats and then introduced them into a large box with freedom of movement. Three and a half months, all of them were killed to study the brains and count the branches of the dendrites. In fact, the number of branches of dendrites indicates the degree of intelligence of rats.

According to the results, the drugs totally stopped the rats and reduced their ability to learn things.