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Longitudinal Performance of Senescence Accelerated Mouse Prone-Strain 8 (SAMP8) Mice in an Olfactory-Visual Water

Virginie Lam1,2, Ryusuke Takechi1,2, Matthew A Albrecht1,2

  • 1Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
|September 14, 2018
PubMed

Insights

A new olfactory-visual maze better identifies cognitive deficits in Senescence Accelerated Mouse Prone-Strain 8 (SAMP8) mice than the traditional Morris water maze (MWM). This method avoids visual impairment confounds, offering clearer insights into aging-related cognitive changes.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Models of Aging

Background:

  • The Morris water maze (MWM) is a standard tool for assessing cognitive function in rodent models.
  • MWM performance can be influenced by factors like visual acuity and locomotor activity, potentially confounding results.
  • Senescence Accelerated Mouse Prone-Strain 8 (SAMP8) mice are a widely used model for studying age-related cognitive decline.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the efficacy of the classical MWM with a novel olfactory-visual maze in discriminating cognitive performance between SAMP8 and control SAMR1 mice.
  • To evaluate the impact of visual and locomotor confounds on MWM performance in these mouse strains.
  • To assess the utility of the olfactory-visual maze for longitudinal studies of age-associated cognitive deficits in SAMP8 mice.

Main Methods:

  • Comparison of SAMP8 and SAMR1 mice performance in both classical MWM and an olfactory-visual maze.
  • Latency to reach the escape platform and distance traveled were measured in the MWM.
  • Latency to reach the rescue platform was measured in the olfactory-visual maze.
  • Longitudinal assessment of performance in the olfactory-visual maze at multiple ages (6, 20, 30, and 40 weeks).

Main Results:

  • SAMP8 mice showed poorer performance than SAMR1 mice in the classical MWM at 6 weeks of age.
  • The olfactory-visual maze demonstrated superior discrimination between SAMP8 and SAMR1 mice compared to the classical MWM.
  • Analysis of distance traveled in the MWM at 40 weeks revealed no significant differences between strains.
  • Longitudinal olfactory-visual maze testing showed no age-associated deficits in SAMP8 mice up to 40 weeks.

Conclusions:

  • The olfactory-visual maze is a more sensitive tool for assessing cognitive deficits in SAMP8 mice, mitigating confounds associated with visual impairment.
  • This novel protocol offers a valuable alternative to the classical MWM for preclinical research on aging and cognitive decline.
  • The olfactory-visual maze provides a robust method for longitudinal studies investigating age-related cognitive and behavioral changes in murine models.
Keywords:
SAMP8 straincognitionmorris water mazemurine modelolfactory sense

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