BALB/c mice are not so bad in the Morris water maze

We compared the learning performances of BALB/c mice subjected to the Morris water spatial task under two different lighting conditions. In the first one, the experimental room was lit by neon tubes (direct and bright illumination) and in the second one by a halogen lamp directed to the roof (diffuse illumination). The scores of BALB/c mice in the diffuse illumination condition clearly demonstrated that these mice could learn to escape to a hidden platform while they could not under direct illumination condition. Moreover, they were able to acquire the task by means of spatial cues. These results are interpreted in terms of a decrease of anxiety levels.