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Elevated Plus Maze for Mice
Published on: December 22, 2008
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Aversion in the elevated plus-maze: role of visual and tactile cues
Guilherme Bracarense Filgueiras1, Eduardo F Carvalho-Netto1, Celio Estanislau1
1Departamento de Psicologia Geral e Análise do Comportamento, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, PR 445, Km 380, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil.
Behavioural Processes
|August 26, 2014
Summary
Rats avoid open arms in mazes due to thigmotaxis, a tendency to stay near walls. This study shows rats rely more on senses other than vision to navigate these spaces.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Thigmotaxis, or proximity seeking to vertical surfaces, influences rodent behavior in mazes.
- Both vibrissal (whiskers) and visual senses are implicated in thigmotaxis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the primary sensory modality, vision or vibrissae, driving thigmotaxis in rats within an elevated plus-maze.
- To investigate how manipulating vibrissal length and arm wall characteristics affects spatial exploration and thigmotaxis.
Main Methods:
- Manipulated mystacial vibrissae length (vibrissotomy) and altered the presence and transparency of walls in elevated plus-maze arms.
- Observed rat behavior and exploration patterns in response to these sensory manipulations.
Main Results:
- Rats consistently avoided maze arms lacking walls.
- Rats did not avoid open arms with transparent walls, suggesting vision is not the primary driver of avoidance.
- Vibrissotomy had minimal impact, indicating compensatory sensory strategies.
Conclusions:
- Rats' avoidance of open arms in the elevated plus-maze relies more on non-visual sensory cues than on vision.
- Rats can compensate for vibrissal loss using alternative sensory pathways and behavioral adjustments.
