The Experts below are selected from a list of 1932 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform

Richard E Brown - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Early detection of cognitive deficits in the 3xTg-AD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
    Behavioural Brain Research, 2015
    Co-Authors: Kurt R. Stover, Mackenzie A. Campbell, Christine M. Van Winssen, Richard E Brown
    Abstract:

    Abstract Which behavioral test is the most sensitive for detecting cognitive deficits in the 3xTg-AD at 6.5 months of age? The 3xTg-AD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has three transgenes (APPswe, PS1M146V, and Tau P301L) which cause the development of amyloid beta plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and cognitive deficits with age. In order to determine which task is the most sensitive in the early detection of cognitive deficits, we compared male and female 3xTg-AD and B6129SF2 wildtype mice at 6.5 months of age on a test battery including spontaneous alternation in the Y-Maze, novel object recognition, spatial memory in the Barnes Maze, and cued and contextual fear conditioning. The 3xTg-AD mice had impaired learning and memory in the Barnes Maze but performed better than B6129SF2 wildtype mice in the Y-Maze and in contextual fear conditioning. Neither genotype demonstrated a preference in the novel object recognition task nor was there a genotype difference in cued fear conditioning but females performed better than males. From our results we conclude that the 3xTg-AD mice have mild cognitive deficits in spatial learning and memory and that the Barnes Maze was the most sensitive test for detecting these cognitive deficits in 6.5-month-old mice.

  • optimization of apparatus design and behavioral measures for the assessment of visuo spatial learning and memory of mice on the Barnes Maze
    Learning & Memory, 2013
    Co-Authors: Timothy P Oleary, Richard E Brown
    Abstract:

    : We have previously shown that apparatus design can affect visual-spatial cue use and memory performance of mice on the Barnes Maze. The present experiment extends these findings by determining the optimal behavioral measures and test procedure for analyzing visuo-spatial learning and memory in three different Barnes Maze designs. Male and female C57BL/6J mice were trained with a stable or random escape hole location and the sensitivities (statistical power) of four commonly used measures of learning and three measures of memory to detect differences between these training procedures were compared on each Maze design. A Maze design with a large diameter and no wall was optimal, because mice showed a reliable use of extra-Maze visual cues, visuo-spatial search strategies, and spatial memory. A Maze design with a small diameter, surrounding wall, and intra-Maze visual cues was the least sensitive for determining visuo-spatial learning and memory, because mice showed little evidence of extra-Maze cue use. Errors, distance traveled, and hole deviation scores were more sensitive measures of learning than latency to find the escape hole. Measures based on locating the escape hole (primary measures) were more sensitive than measures based on entering the escape hole (total measures). Measures of memory had similar levels of sensitivity on each Maze. This experiment demonstrates that both apparatus design and the behavioral measures used as indicators of learning and memory can influence the ability of the Barnes Maze to detect visuo-spatial learning and memory impairments in mice.

  • the effects of apparatus design and test procedure on learning and memory performance of c57bl 6j mice on the Barnes Maze
    Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2012
    Co-Authors: Timothy P Oleary, Richard E Brown
    Abstract:

    The Barnes Maze is a visuo-spatial learning and memory test originally designed for use with rats, and later adapted for use with mice. The Barnes Maze design and test procedure vary across studies using mice, but the effects of variation in Barnes Maze design and test procedure on learning and memory in mice have not yet been investigated. Therefore the present experiment investigates whether test procedures, such as the number of habituation trials and parameters of the probe trial (correct zone size and trial length) influence learning and memory performance on three Barnes Maze designs that differed in size and the presence of a wall with intra-Maze visual cues. Performance was compared across the three Mazes to determine how apparatus design influences visuo-spatial cue use. The number of habituation trials and parameters of the probe trial had small effects on learning and memory performance. Apparatus design, had little effect on acquisition performance but had a significant effect on memory performance. Mice on a Maze with a small diameter, external wall and intra-Maze visual cues had very poor visuo-spatial memory relative to mice tested on small and large diameter Mazes without a wall or intra-Maze visual cues. Assessment of visuo-spatial cue use indicated that mice do not rely on visuo-spatial cues to locate the escape hole on the small-diameter Maze with a wall and intra-Maze visual cues, but show reliable visuo-spatial cue use on small or large diameter Mazes with no wall. These results indicate that apparatus design influences search strategy use and memory performance on the Barnes Maze, and that including a wall around the edge of the Barnes Maze decreases visuo-spatial cue use.

  • The effects of apparatus design and test procedure on learning and memory performance of C57BL/6J mice on the Barnes Maze.
    Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2011
    Co-Authors: Timothy P. O'leary, Richard E Brown
    Abstract:

    The Barnes Maze is a visuo-spatial learning and memory test originally designed for use with rats, and later adapted for use with mice. The Barnes Maze design and test procedure vary across studies using mice, but the effects of variation in Barnes Maze design and test procedure on learning and memory in mice have not yet been investigated. Therefore the present experiment investigates whether test procedures, such as the number of habituation trials and parameters of the probe trial (correct zone size and trial length) influence learning and memory performance on three Barnes Maze designs that differed in size and the presence of a wall with intra-Maze visual cues. Performance was compared across the three Mazes to determine how apparatus design influences visuo-spatial cue use. The number of habituation trials and parameters of the probe trial had small effects on learning and memory performance. Apparatus design, had little effect on acquisition performance but had a significant effect on memory performance. Mice on a Maze with a small diameter, external wall and intra-Maze visual cues had very poor visuo-spatial memory relative to mice tested on small and large diameter Mazes without a wall or intra-Maze visual cues. Assessment of visuo-spatial cue use indicated that mice do not rely on visuo-spatial cues to locate the escape hole on the small-diameter Maze with a wall and intra-Maze visual cues, but show reliable visuo-spatial cue use on small or large diameter Mazes with no wall. These results indicate that apparatus design influences search strategy use and memory performance on the Barnes Maze, and that including a wall around the edge of the Barnes Maze decreases visuo-spatial cue use.

  • learning memory and search strategies of inbred mouse strains with different visual abilities in the Barnes Maze
    Behavioural Brain Research, 2011
    Co-Authors: Timothy P Oleary, Vicki Savoie, Richard E Brown
    Abstract:

    Visuo-spatial learning and memory were assessed in male and female mice of 13 inbred strains on a small diameter mouse version of the Barnes Maze surrounded by a wall and intra-Maze visual cues. Mice completed acquisition and reversal training to assess learning, followed by a probe test to assess memory for the spatial location of the escape hole. The C57BL/6J and CAST/EiJ strains showed better learning performance than the other strains. A/J and 129/SvImJ strains showed poor learning performance, which may be due to their low rates of exploration. No differences in memory were found between strains in the probe test. Males showed better learning performance than females in the DBA/2J and C3H/HeJ strains, but there were no sex differences in the other strains. However, mice may not have used visuo-spatial cues to locate the escape hole in this Maze, as (1) all strains primarily used the non-spatial serial/thigmotaxic search strategy, (2) no strains showed a reversal effect when the escape hole location was moved, and (3) learning and memory performance were not correlated with measures of visual ability. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance indicated that mice with good visual ability performed better than mice with poor visual ability, but the effect sizes were small. The small diameter of the Maze and the presence of a wall around the edge of the Maze may promote thigmotaxis in mice, increasing the use of a non-visual search strategy, thereby reducing the influence of vision on performance and decreasing the sensitivity of this Maze design to detect strain differences in visuo-spatial learning and memory. These results indicate that the design of the Barnes Maze has a significant effect on learning and memory processes.

Jeanbastien Bott - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • spatial reference memory is associated with modulation of theta gamma coupling in the dentate gyrus
    Cerebral Cortex, 2016
    Co-Authors: Jeanbastien Bott, Marcantoine Muller, Jesse Jackson, Julien Aubert, Jeanchristophe Cassel
    Abstract:

    Spatial reference memory in rodents represents a unique opportunity to study brain mechanisms responsible for encoding, storage and retrieval of a memory. Even though its reliance on hippocampal networks has long been established, the precise computations performed by different hippocampal subfields during spatial learning are still not clear. To study the evolution of electrophysiological activity in the CA1-dentate gyrus axis of the dorsal hippocampus over an iterative spatial learning paradigm, we recorded local field potentials in behaving mice using a newly designed appetitive version of the Barnes Maze. We first showed that theta and gamma oscillations as well as theta-gamma coupling are differentially modulated in particular hippocampal subfields during the task. In addition, we show that dentate gyrus networks, but not CA1 networks, exhibit a transient learning-dependent increase in theta-gamma coupling specifically at the vicinity of the target area in the Maze. In contrast to previous immediate early-gene studies, our results point to a long-lasting involvement of dentate networks in navigational memory in the Barnes Maze. Based on these findings, we propose that theta-gamma coupling might represent a mechanism by which hippocampal areas compute relevant information.

  • Spatial Reference Memory is Associated with Modulation of Theta–Gamma Coupling in the Dentate Gyrus
    Cerebral Cortex, 2015
    Co-Authors: Jeanbastien Bott, Marcantoine Muller, Jesse Jackson, Julien Aubert, Jeanchristophe Cassel, Chantal Mathis, Romain Goutagny
    Abstract:

    : Spatial reference memory in rodents represents a unique opportunity to study brain mechanisms responsible for encoding, storage and retrieval of a memory. Even though its reliance on hippocampal networks has long been established, the precise computations performed by different hippocampal subfields during spatial learning are still not clear. To study the evolution of electrophysiological activity in the CA1-dentate gyrus axis of the dorsal hippocampus over an iterative spatial learning paradigm, we recorded local field potentials in behaving mice using a newly designed appetitive version of the Barnes Maze. We first showed that theta and gamma oscillations as well as theta-gamma coupling are differentially modulated in particular hippocampal subfields during the task. In addition, we show that dentate gyrus networks, but not CA1 networks, exhibit a transient learning-dependent increase in theta-gamma coupling specifically at the vicinity of the target area in the Maze. In contrast to previous immediate early-gene studies, our results point to a long-lasting involvement of dentate networks in navigational memory in the Barnes Maze. Based on these findings, we propose that theta-gamma coupling might represent a mechanism by which hippocampal areas compute relevant information.

Jeanchristophe Cassel - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • spatial reference memory is associated with modulation of theta gamma coupling in the dentate gyrus
    Cerebral Cortex, 2016
    Co-Authors: Jeanbastien Bott, Marcantoine Muller, Jesse Jackson, Julien Aubert, Jeanchristophe Cassel
    Abstract:

    Spatial reference memory in rodents represents a unique opportunity to study brain mechanisms responsible for encoding, storage and retrieval of a memory. Even though its reliance on hippocampal networks has long been established, the precise computations performed by different hippocampal subfields during spatial learning are still not clear. To study the evolution of electrophysiological activity in the CA1-dentate gyrus axis of the dorsal hippocampus over an iterative spatial learning paradigm, we recorded local field potentials in behaving mice using a newly designed appetitive version of the Barnes Maze. We first showed that theta and gamma oscillations as well as theta-gamma coupling are differentially modulated in particular hippocampal subfields during the task. In addition, we show that dentate gyrus networks, but not CA1 networks, exhibit a transient learning-dependent increase in theta-gamma coupling specifically at the vicinity of the target area in the Maze. In contrast to previous immediate early-gene studies, our results point to a long-lasting involvement of dentate networks in navigational memory in the Barnes Maze. Based on these findings, we propose that theta-gamma coupling might represent a mechanism by which hippocampal areas compute relevant information.

  • Spatial Reference Memory is Associated with Modulation of Theta–Gamma Coupling in the Dentate Gyrus
    Cerebral Cortex, 2015
    Co-Authors: Jeanbastien Bott, Marcantoine Muller, Jesse Jackson, Julien Aubert, Jeanchristophe Cassel, Chantal Mathis, Romain Goutagny
    Abstract:

    : Spatial reference memory in rodents represents a unique opportunity to study brain mechanisms responsible for encoding, storage and retrieval of a memory. Even though its reliance on hippocampal networks has long been established, the precise computations performed by different hippocampal subfields during spatial learning are still not clear. To study the evolution of electrophysiological activity in the CA1-dentate gyrus axis of the dorsal hippocampus over an iterative spatial learning paradigm, we recorded local field potentials in behaving mice using a newly designed appetitive version of the Barnes Maze. We first showed that theta and gamma oscillations as well as theta-gamma coupling are differentially modulated in particular hippocampal subfields during the task. In addition, we show that dentate gyrus networks, but not CA1 networks, exhibit a transient learning-dependent increase in theta-gamma coupling specifically at the vicinity of the target area in the Maze. In contrast to previous immediate early-gene studies, our results point to a long-lasting involvement of dentate networks in navigational memory in the Barnes Maze. Based on these findings, we propose that theta-gamma coupling might represent a mechanism by which hippocampal areas compute relevant information.

Gert Lubec - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • the differential hippocampal phosphoproteome of apodemus sylvaticus paralleling spatial memory retrieval in the Barnes Maze
    Behavioural Brain Research, 2014
    Co-Authors: Lin Li, Sudarshan Patil, Edina Csaszar, Edit Szodorai, Arnold Pollak, Gert Lubec
    Abstract:

    Abstract Protein phosphorylation is a well-known and well-documented mechanism in memory processes. Although a large series of protein kinases involved in memory processes have been reported, information on phosphoproteins is limited. It was therefore the aim of the study to determine a partial and differential phosphoproteome along with the corresponding network in hippocampus of a wild caught mouse strain with excellent performance in several paradigms of spatial memory. Apodemus sylvaticus mice were trained in the Barnes Maze, a non-invasive test system for spatial memory and untrained mice served as controls. Animals were sacrificed 6 h following memory retrieval, hippocampi were taken, proteins extracted and in-solution digestion was carried out with subsequent iTRAQ double labelling. Phosphopeptides were enriched by a TiO 2 -based method and semi-quantified using two fragmentation principles on the LTQ-orbitrap Velos. In hippocampi of trained animals phosphopeptide levels representing signalling, neuronal, synaptosomal, cytoskeletal and metabolism proteins were at least twofold reduced or increased. Furthermore, a network revealing a link to pathways of ubiquitination, the androgen receptor, small GTPase Rab5 and MAPK signaling as well as synucleins was constructed. This work is relevant for interpretation of previous work and the design of future studies on protein phosphorylation in spatial memory.

  • nmda complexes linked to spatial memory performance in the Barnes Maze in cd1 mice
    Behavioural Brain Research, 2011
    Co-Authors: Maryam Ghafari, Sudarshan Patil, Harald Hoger, Arnold Pollak, Gert Lubec
    Abstract:

    Abstract The N-methyl- d -aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) is a well-documented key element in the formation of several memories including spatial, olfactory and contextual memory. Although receptor subunits have been linked to memory formation, data on the involvement of the NMDAR complexes is limited. In previous work CD1 mice were trained in the Barnes Maze, a low-stress landMaze, and yoked controls were serving as controls. Hippocampal samples from this behavioural study were taken for comparing NMDAR complexes. Hippocampi were taken and stored until analysis at −80 °C. Membrane proteins were extracted from hippocampi using an ultracentrifugation step and applied on Blue Native gels that in turn were used for immunoblotting with antibodies against subunits NR1, NR2A and NR2B. The subunit content of the complexes was determined by denaturing two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and subsequent immunoblotting. An NMDAR complex with an apparent molecular weight between between146 and 242 kDa, probably representing an NR1 dimer was the only complex that was significantly different between trained and yoked animals. A series of NMDAR complexes containing modulatory subunits NR2A or NR2B or both were detected. All complexes contained the NR1subunit. The NR1 dimer complex level, increased in memory formation, may be directly or indirectly involved in the process of spatial memory formation in the CD1 mouse. The results are enabling and challenging further NMDAR studies, both, at the pharmacological and molecular level. Moreover, several NMDAR complexes in the CD1 mouse were shown to be mainly heteropolymers of subunits NR1, NR2A and NR2B, although other recently described subunits were not tested due to unavailability of specific antibodies. Determination of native receptor complexes rather than individual subunits is mandatory and provides the molecular basis for understanding mechanisms of spatial memory.

  • a serotonin receptor 1a containing complex in hippocampus of pwd phj mice is linked to training effects in the Barnes Maze
    Behavioural Brain Research, 2011
    Co-Authors: Sudarshan Patil, Harald Hoger, Gangsoo Jung, Gert Lubec
    Abstract:

    Although the involvement of the serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1A R) in memory has been shown by several groups there is no information about the 5-HT1A R complex but rather the monomeric form. Moreover, there is insufficient information on the characterization of the antigen, the 5-HT1A R. PWD/PhJ mice, a wild-caught strain that was inbred at The Jackson Laboratories were used for the experiments. The Barnes Maze (BM) paradigm for the evaluation of spatial memory was chosen because of experience with this setting in our laboratory. Mice were sacrificed 6 h following the probe trial on day 12, hippocampi were extirpated, proteins extracted and run on blue native gels with subsequent immunoblotting with a specific antibody against the mouse 5-HT1A R. Densitometry of the single band from the immunoblots was carried out. The receptor from the complex was identified by mass spectrometry (nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS). A serotonin receptor 1A complex was identified by immunoblotting at the apparent molecular weight of 480 kDa indicating the presence of a homopolymer as denaturation only revealed a single band at approx. 50 kDa. 5-HT1A R levels were significantly higher in the trained group as compared to yoked controls. The hippocampal 5-HT1A R of the trained group was unambiguously identified. Taken together, a serotonin receptor 1A homopolymer is associated with memory training effects in the BM using PWD/PhJ mice. This observation shows that a specific complex rather than a receptor subunit as previously shown is involved in memory process and the receptor protein was characterized.

  • A serotonin receptor 1A containing complex in hippocampus of PWD/PhJ mice is linked to training effects in the Barnes Maze
    Behavioural Brain Research, 2010
    Co-Authors: Sudarshan Patil, Harald Hoger, Gangsoo Jung, Gert Lubec
    Abstract:

    Although the involvement of the serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1A R) in memory has been shown by several groups there is no information about the 5-HT1A R complex but rather the monomeric form. Moreover, there is insufficient information on the characterization of the antigen, the 5-HT1A R. PWD/PhJ mice, a wild-caught strain that was inbred at The Jackson Laboratories were used for the experiments. The Barnes Maze (BM) paradigm for the evaluation of spatial memory was chosen because of experience with this setting in our laboratory. Mice were sacrificed 6 h following the probe trial on day 12, hippocampi were extirpated, proteins extracted and run on blue native gels with subsequent immunoblotting with a specific antibody against the mouse 5-HT1A R. Densitometry of the single band from the immunoblots was carried out. The receptor from the complex was identified by mass spectrometry (nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS). A serotonin receptor 1A complex was identified by immunoblotting at the apparent molecular weight of 480 kDa indicating the presence of a homopolymer as denaturation only revealed a single band at approx. 50 kDa. 5-HT1A R levels were significantly higher in the trained group as compared to yoked controls. The hippocampal 5-HT1A R of the trained group was unambiguously identified. Taken together, a serotonin receptor 1A homopolymer is associated with memory training effects in the BM using PWD/PhJ mice. This observation shows that a specific complex rather than a receptor subunit as previously shown is involved in memory process and the receptor protein was characterized.

  • hippocampal protein levels related to spatial memory are different in the Barnes Maze and in the multiple t Maze
    Journal of Proteome Research, 2009
    Co-Authors: Junfang Zheng, Sudarshan Patil, Weiqiang Chen, Wei An, Junqi He, Harald Hoger, Gert Lubec
    Abstract:

    The Multiple T-Maze (MTM) and the Barnes Maze (BM) are land Mazes used for the evaluation of spatial memory. The observation that mice are performing differently in individual Mazes made us test the hypothesis that differences in cognitive performances in the two land Mazes would be accompanied by differences in hippocampal protein levels. C57BL/6J mice were tested in the BM and in the MTM, hippocampi were extirpated 6 h following the probe trials each, and proteins were extracted for gel-based proteomic analysis. Mice learned the task in both paradigms. Levels of hippocampal proteins from several pathways including signaling, chaperone, and metabolic cascades were significantly different between the two spatial memory tasks. Protein levels were linked to spatial memory specifically as yoked controls were used.

Timothy P Oleary - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • optimization of apparatus design and behavioral measures for the assessment of visuo spatial learning and memory of mice on the Barnes Maze
    Learning & Memory, 2013
    Co-Authors: Timothy P Oleary, Richard E Brown
    Abstract:

    : We have previously shown that apparatus design can affect visual-spatial cue use and memory performance of mice on the Barnes Maze. The present experiment extends these findings by determining the optimal behavioral measures and test procedure for analyzing visuo-spatial learning and memory in three different Barnes Maze designs. Male and female C57BL/6J mice were trained with a stable or random escape hole location and the sensitivities (statistical power) of four commonly used measures of learning and three measures of memory to detect differences between these training procedures were compared on each Maze design. A Maze design with a large diameter and no wall was optimal, because mice showed a reliable use of extra-Maze visual cues, visuo-spatial search strategies, and spatial memory. A Maze design with a small diameter, surrounding wall, and intra-Maze visual cues was the least sensitive for determining visuo-spatial learning and memory, because mice showed little evidence of extra-Maze cue use. Errors, distance traveled, and hole deviation scores were more sensitive measures of learning than latency to find the escape hole. Measures based on locating the escape hole (primary measures) were more sensitive than measures based on entering the escape hole (total measures). Measures of memory had similar levels of sensitivity on each Maze. This experiment demonstrates that both apparatus design and the behavioral measures used as indicators of learning and memory can influence the ability of the Barnes Maze to detect visuo-spatial learning and memory impairments in mice.

  • the effects of apparatus design and test procedure on learning and memory performance of c57bl 6j mice on the Barnes Maze
    Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2012
    Co-Authors: Timothy P Oleary, Richard E Brown
    Abstract:

    The Barnes Maze is a visuo-spatial learning and memory test originally designed for use with rats, and later adapted for use with mice. The Barnes Maze design and test procedure vary across studies using mice, but the effects of variation in Barnes Maze design and test procedure on learning and memory in mice have not yet been investigated. Therefore the present experiment investigates whether test procedures, such as the number of habituation trials and parameters of the probe trial (correct zone size and trial length) influence learning and memory performance on three Barnes Maze designs that differed in size and the presence of a wall with intra-Maze visual cues. Performance was compared across the three Mazes to determine how apparatus design influences visuo-spatial cue use. The number of habituation trials and parameters of the probe trial had small effects on learning and memory performance. Apparatus design, had little effect on acquisition performance but had a significant effect on memory performance. Mice on a Maze with a small diameter, external wall and intra-Maze visual cues had very poor visuo-spatial memory relative to mice tested on small and large diameter Mazes without a wall or intra-Maze visual cues. Assessment of visuo-spatial cue use indicated that mice do not rely on visuo-spatial cues to locate the escape hole on the small-diameter Maze with a wall and intra-Maze visual cues, but show reliable visuo-spatial cue use on small or large diameter Mazes with no wall. These results indicate that apparatus design influences search strategy use and memory performance on the Barnes Maze, and that including a wall around the edge of the Barnes Maze decreases visuo-spatial cue use.

  • learning memory and search strategies of inbred mouse strains with different visual abilities in the Barnes Maze
    Behavioural Brain Research, 2011
    Co-Authors: Timothy P Oleary, Vicki Savoie, Richard E Brown
    Abstract:

    Visuo-spatial learning and memory were assessed in male and female mice of 13 inbred strains on a small diameter mouse version of the Barnes Maze surrounded by a wall and intra-Maze visual cues. Mice completed acquisition and reversal training to assess learning, followed by a probe test to assess memory for the spatial location of the escape hole. The C57BL/6J and CAST/EiJ strains showed better learning performance than the other strains. A/J and 129/SvImJ strains showed poor learning performance, which may be due to their low rates of exploration. No differences in memory were found between strains in the probe test. Males showed better learning performance than females in the DBA/2J and C3H/HeJ strains, but there were no sex differences in the other strains. However, mice may not have used visuo-spatial cues to locate the escape hole in this Maze, as (1) all strains primarily used the non-spatial serial/thigmotaxic search strategy, (2) no strains showed a reversal effect when the escape hole location was moved, and (3) learning and memory performance were not correlated with measures of visual ability. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance indicated that mice with good visual ability performed better than mice with poor visual ability, but the effect sizes were small. The small diameter of the Maze and the presence of a wall around the edge of the Maze may promote thigmotaxis in mice, increasing the use of a non-visual search strategy, thereby reducing the influence of vision on performance and decreasing the sensitivity of this Maze design to detect strain differences in visuo-spatial learning and memory. These results indicate that the design of the Barnes Maze has a significant effect on learning and memory processes.

  • visuo spatial learning and memory deficits on the Barnes Maze in the 16 month old appswe ps1de9 mouse model of alzheimer s disease
    Behavioural Brain Research, 2009
    Co-Authors: Timothy P Oleary, Richard E Brown
    Abstract:

    Abstract The APPswe/PS1dE9 mouse is a double transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease, which harbors mutant mouse/human amyloid precursor protein (Swedish K594N/M595L) and presenilin-1 genes (PS1-dE9). These mice develop β-amyloid plaques and exhibit visuo-spatial learning and memory impairment in the Morris water Maze (MWM) at 8–12 and 16–18 months of age. To extend these findings, we tested visuo-spatial learning and memory of male and female APPswe/PS1dE9 mice at 16 months of age on the Barnes Maze. APPswe/PS1dE9 mice showed impaired acquisition learning using measures of latency, distance traveled, errors and hole deviation scores, and were less likely to use the spatial search strategy to locate the escape hole than wild-type mice. APPswe/PS1dE9 mice also showed a deficit in memory in probe tests on the Barnes Maze relative to wild-type mice. Learning and memory deficits, however, were not found during reversal training and reversal probe tests. Sex differences were observed, as male APPswe/PS1dE9 mice had smaller reversal effects than male wild-type mice, but females of each genotype did not differ. Overall, these results replicate previous findings using the MWM, and indicate that APPswe/PS1dE9 mice have impaired visuo-spatial learning and memory at 16 months of age.