The effects of a mild stressor on spontaneous alternation in mice

Adult mice of the C57BL/6J strain were subjected to an acute mild stress at different periods before the choice trial of a spontaneous alternation test. The stressful event was either inescapable (forced exploration in a brightly lit open field) or escapable (temporary entries into an adjacent dark chamber). While unstressed control mice alternated above chance in each condition, mice subjected to inescapable stress did not alternate when forced exposure to the open field occurred during the entire retention interval. The same effect was seen when forced exposure to the open field occurred after a post-forced trial delay period. However, no change in the alternation rate was observed when the inescapable stress occurred before the forced trial, or if the delay intervened between the stressful event and the choice trial. The escapable stressful event had no effect on spontaneous alternation. These results indicate the role of cognitive mediation in the behavioral effects of inescapable stress, causing either a retrieval deficit or neophobia.