Abstract
Four inbred strains of mice, BALB/cByJ, C3H/2Ibg, C57BL/6Ibg, and DBA/2Ibg, were tested for their learning ability in the Morris water maze. Two forms of learning were examined: cue learning, in which the mice were required to swim toward a submerged platform marked by a proximal visual cue; and place learning, in which the animals were required to use distal visual cues to find a submerged platform. C3H and BALB mice, which lack good visual acuity, were incapable of either form of learning. Both C57 and DBA mice were capable of cue learning, but DBA mice performed poorly at the place learning task. A selective impairment in place learning is typical of rats with disrupted hippocampal function. A similar impairment in DBA mice may indicate that abnormal hippocampal function exists under baseline conditions in this strain.
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This work was supported by AFOSR Grant 85-0369, USPHS Grant HD-07289-01, and BRSG Grants RR-07013-19 and-20 awarded by the Biomedical Research Support Grant Program, Division of Research Resources, NIH, to the University of Colorado. The principles of animal care promulgated by the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals,” DHHS Publication No. 85-23, are observed by the University of Colorado. The University of Colorado has a letter of assurance (A1609) on file with the DHHS Office of Protection from Research Risks.
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Upchurch, M., Wehner, J.M. Differences between inbred strains of mice in Morris water maze performance. Behav Genet 18, 55–68 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067075
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067075