Absence of behavioral differences between male and female rats in different radial-maze procedures.

Male and female Wistar rats were exposed to different radial-maze procedures to determine whether or not behavioral differences would be observed. They were allowed free access to all arms of the maze in the first experimental condition, while they were confined between choices to the central platform for 1 and 15 sec during the second and third experimental conditions. In addition, separate, experimentally naive groups of males and females were exposed to the 15 sec confinement procedure. Female and male Wistar rats required an equal number of choices and equal amounts of time to successfully complete visits to eight different arms in all experimental conditions, whether they were experienced or not. Performance improved as training progressed. The results of the present experiments suggest that the previously observed behavioral differences between the sexes in different complex maze procedures, may not be a function of differences in visuospatial abilities, but of activity differences, which interact with the behavioral requirements of different experimental procedures.