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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 30, 2026

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

Published on: July 8, 2015

Episodic memory: Rats can remember the context.

Thomas R Zentall¹

¹Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA.

Current Biology : CB

|February 24, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Rats demonstrate episodic-like memory, recalling past events and their context. This finding challenges the notion that mental time travel is exclusive to humans.

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Last Updated: Apr 30, 2026

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

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Published on: July 8, 2015

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

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An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

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Published on: July 29, 2025

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Animal Behavior

Background:

Episodic memory, the ability to recall specific past events and their context, is often considered a hallmark of human cognition.
Previous research has primarily focused on humans and non-human primates for complex memory functions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the presence of episodic-like memory capabilities in rodents.
To determine if rats can retrieve memories associated with specific contexts and timeframes.

Main Methods:

Rats were trained in a delayed non-match-to-sample task.
The study involved manipulating the temporal and contextual cues associated with learned information.
Behavioral analyses were used to assess memory retrieval accuracy.

Main Results:

Rats successfully retrieved memories of past events up to 30 minutes after learning.
Memory retrieval was dependent on the contextual information present during encoding.
The results indicate a capacity for mental time travel in rats.

Conclusions:

Rodents possess episodic-like memory, challenging the view of this ability as uniquely human.
This study provides evidence for the evolution of complex memory systems across species.
Further research can explore the neural mechanisms underlying episodic-like memory in rats.