Water maze

A water maze is a device used to test an animal's memory in which the alleys are filled with water, providing a motivation to escape. Many different mazes exist, such as T- and Y-mazes,[1] and radial arm mazes.[2] Water mazes have been used to test discrimination learning[1] and spatial learning abilities.[2] The Morris water navigation task is often called a "water maze task", but this is erroneous as it is not, properly speaking, a maze.[3] The development of these mazes has aided research into, for example, hippocampal synaptic plasticity, NMDA receptor function, and looking into neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 van Abeelen JH, Schetgens TM (March 1981). "Inheritance of discrimination learning ability and retention in BA and DBA mice". Behavior Genetics. 11 (2): 173–177. doi:10.1007/BF01065628. PMID 7271683.
  2. 1 2 Hyde LA, Hoplight BJ, Denenberg VH (March 1998). "Water version of the radial-arm maze: learning in three inbred strains of mice". Brain Research. 785 (2): 236–244. doi:10.1016/S0006-8993(97)01417-0. PMID 9518631. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  3. ↑ Schenk, Françoise (1998). Foreman, Nigel; Gillett, Raphael, eds. A Handbook of Spatial Research Paradigms and Methodologies. Volume 2: Clinical and Comparative Studies. East Sussex, United Kingdom: Psychology Press. pp. 145–188. ISBN 978-0-86377-807-0.
  4. ↑ Vorhees, Charles V; Williams, Michael T. "Morris water maze: procedures for assessing spatial and related forms of learning and memory". Nature Protocols. 1 (2): 848–858. doi:10.1038/nprot.2006.116. PMC 2895266Freely accessible. PMID 17406317.


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