Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

An olfactory discrimination procedure for mice.

S M Mihalick1, J C Langlois, J D Krienke

  • 1Psychological Sciences Division, E. K. Shriver Center, Waltham, Massachusetts 02452, USA. smihalick@shriver.org

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|June 24, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Stimulus class formation and functional equivalence in moderately retarded individuals' conditional discrimination.

Behavioural processes·2014
Same author

Auditory discrimination reversal learning and assessment of behavioral teratogenesis in rats.

Behavioural processes·2014
Same author

Do stimulus classes exist before they are tested?

The Analysis of verbal behavior·2012
Same author

Stimulus control shaping and stimulus control topographies.

The Behavior analyst·2012
Same author

Laboratory sampling. Alternate site perspectives.

Journal of intravenous nursing : the official publication of the Intravenous Nurses Society·2002
Same author

Prenatal ethanol exposure, generalized learning impairment, and medial prefrontal cortical deficits in rats.

Neurotoxicology and teratology·2001
Same journal

The Genoeconomics of Impulsive Intertemporal Choice: A Critical Review.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Shaping the extinction burst: Increasing its probability and preventing its emergence across topographies.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Evaluating the combined effects of effort and probability on monetary discounting.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

An improved translational approach to studying persistence-strengthening effects of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Interactions between the effects of food and water motivating operations on concurrent food- and water-reinforced responding in mice.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
Same journal

Odor-visual and visual-visual matching to sample with dogs.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2026
See all related articles

This study presents an affordable olfactory discrimination method for mice, enabling quick learning and reversals. The procedure uses cinnamon and nutmeg odors to train mice, proving effective in both standard and phenylketonuria models.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Behavior
  • Olfactory Learning

Background:

  • Olfactory discrimination is crucial for animal survival and research.
  • Developing efficient and cost-effective methods for studying olfactory learning in mice is essential.
  • Existing methods may be time-consuming or expensive, limiting broader application.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe a novel, inexpensive olfactory discrimination procedure for mice.
  • To assess the speed of discrimination learning and reversal learning in mice using this method.
  • To evaluate the procedure's applicability in a mouse model of phenylketonuria (PKU).

Main Methods:

  • Mice were trained to retrieve chocolate from sand-filled containers.
  • Discrimination involved two odors (cinnamon vs. nutmeg), with one odor (S+) reinforced and the other (S-) penalized.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Reversal learning was tested after initial acquisition, with odor contingencies switched.

    • Main Results:

    • Swiss-Webster mice acquired the olfactory discrimination rapidly (3-5 sessions) and completed multiple reversals.
    • Phenylketonuria (PKU) mice and non-PKU littermates showed similar learning rates and reversal performance.
    • The procedure demonstrated effectiveness across different mouse strains and genetic backgrounds.

    Conclusions:

    • The described olfactory discrimination procedure is inexpensive, efficient, and promotes rapid learning and reversals in mice.
    • This method is suitable for studying olfactory learning in various mouse models, including those with metabolic disorders like PKU.
    • The procedure's simplicity and effectiveness suggest its utility for a wide range of behavioral neuroscience research.