Source Paper
Aerobic Exercise Promotes Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Ameliorates Cognitive Dysfunction Induced by Unilateral Labyrinthectomy
Zhou Z, Yu X, Tian E, Guo Z, Chen J et al.
CNS Neurosci Ther • 2026
Contextual and Tone-Cued Fear Conditioning
Objective: To assess contextual and tone-cued fear memory by measuring freezing responses in different contexts
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Equipment4
Materials1
Not specified • Not specified
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Protocol Steps
Day 1: Fear conditioning training
Place mice in Context A for exploration, then present tone (80 dB, 5 kHz) for 30 s followed by 0.75 mA foot shock during final second. Repeat tone-shock pairing three times with 30 s intertrial intervals.
View evidence from paper
“mice were permitted to explore the conditioning chamber (Context A; 29 × 29 × 24 cm; H10‐11M‐TC, Coulbourn Instruments) for 180 s before a tone presentation”
Tone and shock parameters
Present tone at 80 dB and 5 kHz for 30 seconds, with 0.75 mA foot shock administered during the final second, co-terminating with tone.
View evidence from paper
“The tone lasted 30 s at 80 dB and 5 kHz. During the final second of the tone, a 0.75 mA foot shock was administered”
Return to home cage
Return mice to their home cages after conditioning session and quantify freezing response during final tone-shock pairing to assess learning.
View evidence from paper
“Following the conditioning session, the mice were returned to their home cages. The freezing response during the final tone‐shock pairing was quantified”
Day 2: Contextual fear memory test
Place mice in Context A for 5 minutes without shock or tone to evaluate contextual fear memory by quantifying freezing response.
View evidence from paper
“The following day, the mice were placed in context A for 5 min without administering shock or tone to evaluate the contextual fear memory”
Day 3: Tone-cued fear memory test
Expose mice to Context B while presenting tone (80 dB, 5 kHz) for 30 seconds without shock to assess tone-cued fear memory.
View evidence from paper
“On the third day, the tone‐cued fear memory was assessed by exposing the mice to Context B while presenting a tone lasting 30 s at 80 dB and 5 kHz without shock”
Freezing behavior analysis
Count behavior as 'freezing' if no mouse movement is detected for more than 2 seconds. Record freezing levels using video camera system.
View evidence from paper
“If no mouse movement was detected for more than 2 s, its behavior was counted as "freezing", and freezing levels were recorded by a video camera”