Source Paper
Severity of spatial learning impairment in aging: Development of a learning index for performance in the Morris water maze.
Michela Gallagher, Rebecca Burwell, Margaret Burchinal
Behavioral Neuroscience • 2015
View Abstract
The Morris water maze task was originally designed to assess the rat's ability to learn to navigate to a specific location in a relatively large spatial environment. This article describes new measures that provide information about the spatial distribution of the rat's search during both training and probe trial performance. The basic new measure optimizes the use of computer tracking to identify the rat's position with respect to the target location. This proximity measure was found to be highly sensitive to age-related impairment in an assessment of young and aged male Long-Evans rats. Also described is the development of a learning index that provides a continuous, graded measure of the severity of age-related impairment in the task. An index of this type should be useful in correlational analyses with other neurobiological or behavioral measures for the study of individual differences in functional/biological decline in aging.
Morris Water Maze
Objective: Assess the rat's ability to learn to navigate to a specific location in a relatively large spatial environment, with analysis of spatial distribution of search patterns during training and probe trial performance
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Protocol Steps
Morris Water Maze Training
Rats are trained to navigate to a specific location in the water maze
Note: Training trials are conducted to assess spatial learning ability
View evidence from paper
“The Morris water maze task was originally designed to assess the rat's ability to learn to navigate to a specific location in a relatively large spatial environment”
Probe Trial Performance
Probe trials are conducted to assess retention and spatial memory
Note: Probe trial performance is analyzed for spatial distribution of search patterns
View evidence from paper
“This article describes new measures that provide information about the spatial distribution of the rat's search during both training and probe trial performance”
Proximity Measure Analysis
Computer tracking is used to calculate proximity measure - the rat's position with respect to the target location
Note: This proximity measure was found to be highly sensitive to age-related impairment
View evidence from paper
“This proximity measure was found to be highly sensitive to age-related impairment in an assessment of young and aged male Long-Evans rats”
Learning Index Development
A learning index is calculated to provide a continuous, graded measure of the severity of age-related impairment
Note: The learning index is useful for correlational analyses with neurobiological or behavioral measures
View evidence from paper
“Also described is the development of a learning index that provides a continuous, graded measure of the severity of age-related impairment in the task”