Related Experiment Videos
Mice housed in a cage with a maze learn the maze without explicit training
Y Masuda1, S Murai, H Murakami
1Department of Pharmacology, School of Dentistry, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan.
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
|May 1, 1992
Summary
Mice learn mazes with minimal training. Scopolamine impairs maze performance in complex mazes but only when administered before early trials, indicating training-dependent drug effects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Rodent models are crucial for understanding learning and memory.
- Investigating the impact of pharmacological agents on cognitive functions in mice is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if mice can learn maze tasks without explicit training.
- To investigate the dose-dependent effects of scopolamine on maze performance based on training level.
Main Methods:
- Mice were housed in a novel apparatus combining a maze and home cage, with water at the entrance and food in the home cage.
- Maze performance was assessed by counting errors and time to reach the home cage across daily trials.
- Scopolamine was administered at varying doses before specific trials in mazes of differing complexity (Type 1, 2, and 3).
Main Results:
- Mice reached a learning criterion by the second trial, demonstrating rapid learning without explicit training.
- Scopolamine (0.125-0.5 mg/kg) impaired performance in the most complex maze (Type 3) when given before Trial 4, but not in simpler mazes (Type 1, 2).
- Higher doses of scopolamine (0.25-1.0 mg/kg) did not affect performance in the Type 3 maze when administered later, before Trial 11.
Conclusions:
- Mice exhibit innate learning capabilities in novel maze environments.
- Scopolamine's disruptive effects on cognitive performance are dependent on the extent of task training and maze complexity.