Recent results of our team showed that parental spatial training before fertilization improves the offspring's spatial memory. However, the process of spatial learning (short-term/working and long-term memories, mnesic consolidation and procedures) in the offspring has not been fully clarified yet. Therefore, this study aimed at specifically analyzing whether maternal learning of a spatial task before fertilization can impact on the process of spatial learning in the female offspring. In the present study, 8-week-old female Wistar rats that had been spatially trained (or not) in the Morris Water Maze (MWM) were mated with conspecific standard-reared male rats, and their 4-week-old female offspring were spatially tested in the same MWM to evaluate their learning and memory processes. Results showed that the female offspring of trained mothers significantly displayed lower escape latencies, higher swimming speed, shorter total distance swum, longer percentage of time spent in the target quadrant and better localization memory in comparison to the female offspring of not trained mothers. Further, MWM performances of mothers trained and their female offspring significantly correlated. These findings indicate that the maternal spatial training before fertilization improves the spatial learning and memory consolidation process of the female offspring.

中文翻译：

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受精前的母亲空间训练可以改善女性后代的空间学习过程。

我们团队最近的结果表明，受精前父母的空间训练可以改善后代的空间记忆。然而，后代的空间学习过程（短期/工作和长期记忆、记忆巩固和程序）尚未完全阐明。因此，本研究旨在具体分析受精前母亲对空间任务的学习是否会对女性后代的空间学习过程产生影响。在本研究中，将在莫里斯水迷宫（MWM）中接受过（或未接受）空间训练的 8 周大雌性 Wistar 大鼠与同种标准饲养的雄性大鼠交配，其 4 周大的雌性后代在相同的 MWM 中进行空间测试，以评估他们的学习和记忆过程。结果表明，与未受过训练的母亲的雌性后代相比，受过训练的母亲的雌性后代显着表现出较低的逃避潜伏期、较高的游泳速度、较短的总游泳距离、较长的在目标象限中花费的时间以及更好的定位记忆。此外，受过训练的母亲的 MWM 表现与其雌性后代显着相关。这些发现表明，受精前母亲的空间训练改善了雌性后代的空间学习和记忆巩固过程。