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. 2020 Mar;10(1):e68.
doi: 10.1002/cpmo.68.

A Novel One-Day Learning Procedure for Mice

Martin Darvas  1 , Kishore Mukherjee  2 , Amanda Lee  2 , Warren Ladiges  2
Affiliations

A Novel One-Day Learning Procedure for Mice

Martin Darvas et al. Curr Protoc Mouse Biol. 2020 Mar.

Abstract

Current preclinical cognitive assessments are highly time intensive, with lengthy assessment procedures. In this regard, a single-day assay that focuses just on assessing learning behavior in a time-effective and relatable manner would be of value. This article describes the box maze as a short-term behavioral procedure to measure learning in mice. The protocol consists of allowing mice to explore an enclosed space that has eight holes. One of these holes leads to a tunnel that connects to an escape cage, and the latency to enter this escape hole is recorded for each mouse. Mice are tested four times within a single day, and the decrease in escape latency over time is used as a measure of learning. Age is a factor that affects escape latency in the box maze. Hence, the box-maze procedure is proposed as an efficient test to probe aging and aging intervention-related research questions. © 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Keywords: aging; behavioral test; box maze; cognitive impairment; learning.

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References

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