Source Paper
SR Bodnoff, AG Humphreys, JC Lehman, DM Diamond, GM Rose et al.
Journal of Neuroscience •
Prolonged treatment with stress levels of corticosterone has been reported to produce changes in the hippocampus. In the experiments reported here, we examined for functional and morphological consequences of this treatment. First, young adult or mid-aged male Long-Evans rats were treated for either 1 or 3 months with corticosterone, at a dose sufficient to mimic the elevated hormone levels observed following exposure to mild stress. Two weeks following the termination of treatment, the animals were tested in the Morris water maze to assess spatial learning. No behavioral deficits were observed after 1 month of treatment. A 3 month treatment period also had no effect in young rats, but produced a learning impairment in the mid-aged rats. We then examined whether the effect of elevated corticosterone in mid-aged animals could be produced by a physiological stressor. Mid-aged rats were maintained for 6 months under conditions of low or high social stress. Six months of exposure to high social stress produced significant spatial learning impairments in the Morris water maze. These effects were absent in high social stress animals that had been previously adrenalectomized (with low-level corticosterone replacement), suggesting that elevated glucocorticoid levels mediate the effects of stress on spatial memory in older animals. In a final experiment, mid-aged rats were treated with corticosterone at levels that mimicked those naturally occurring at the diurnal peak (medium-B: 12–17 micrograms/dl) or in response to stress (high-B: 25–32 micrograms/dl). Only rats exposed to high levels of corticosterone demonstrated impaired performance in the Morris water maze.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Objective: Assess spatial learning and memory in rats following corticosterone treatment or social stress exposure using the Morris water maze
This is a Morris Water Maze protocol using rat as the model organism. The procedure involves 10 procedural steps, 1 equipment items, 1 materials. Extracted from a 1995 paper published in Journal of Neuroscience.
Model and subjects
rat • Long-Evans • male • young adult or mid-aged
Study window
~2 week study window
Core workflow
Corticosterone treatment - 1 month duration • Corticosterone treatment - 3 month duration • Waiting period after treatment termination
Primary readouts
Key equipment and reagents
Verified items
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Young adult or mid-aged male Long-Evans rats treated with corticosterone for 1 month at a dose sufficient to mimic elevated hormone levels observed following mild stress
Note: No behavioral deficits were observed after this treatment period
“young adult or mid-aged male Long-Evans rats were treated for either 1 or 3 months with corticosterone, at a dose sufficient to mimic the elevated hormone levels”
Young adult or mid-aged male Long-Evans rats treated with corticosterone for 3 months at a dose sufficient to mimic elevated hormone levels observed following mild stress
Note: Had no effect in young rats but produced learning impairment in mid-aged rats
“A 3 month treatment period also had no effect in young rats, but produced a learning impairment in the mid-aged rats”
Two weeks following the termination of corticosterone treatment before behavioral testing
Note: Allows for washout period before Morris water maze testing
“Two weeks following the termination of treatment, the animals were tested in the Morris water maze”
Animals tested in the Morris water maze to assess spatial learning following corticosterone treatment
Note: Testing occurred 2 weeks after treatment termination
“Two weeks following the termination of treatment, the animals were tested in the Morris water maze to assess spatial learning”
Mid-aged rats maintained under conditions of low or high social stress to examine whether effects of elevated corticosterone could be produced by physiological stressor
Note: High social stress produced significant spatial learning impairments
“Mid-aged rats were maintained for 6 months under conditions of low or high social stress. Six months of exposure to high social stress produced significant spatial learning impairments”
High social stress animals tested in Morris water maze to assess spatial learning
Note: Testing performed after 6 months of social stress exposure
“Six months of exposure to high social stress produced significant spatial learning impairments in the Morris water maze”
High social stress animals previously adrenalectomized with low-level corticosterone replacement to test whether elevated glucocorticoid levels mediate stress effects
Note: Effects of high social stress were absent in adrenalectomized animals with low-level corticosterone replacement
“high social stress animals that had been previously adrenalectomized (with low-level corticosterone replacement), suggesting that elevated glucocorticoid levels mediate the effects of stress”
Mid-aged rats treated with corticosterone at medium-B levels (12-17 micrograms/dl) mimicking naturally occurring diurnal peak
Note: No impaired performance in Morris water maze at medium-B levels
“mid-aged rats were treated with corticosterone at levels that mimicked those naturally occurring at the diurnal peak (medium-B: 12–17 micrograms/dl)”
Mid-aged rats treated with corticosterone at high-B levels (25-32 micrograms/dl) mimicking stress-induced hormone levels
Note: Only rats exposed to high levels of corticosterone demonstrated impaired performance
“or in response to stress (high-B: 25–32 micrograms/dl). Only rats exposed to high levels of corticosterone demonstrated impaired performance in the Morris water maze”
Animals tested in Morris water maze following treatment with different corticosterone dose levels
Note: Performance impairment only observed at high-B corticosterone levels
“Only rats exposed to high levels of corticosterone demonstrated impaired performance in the Morris water maze”
This section explains what the experiment is doing, which readouts matter, what the data artifacts usually look like, and how the analysis should flow from raw capture to reported result.
Assess spatial learning and memory in rats following corticosterone treatment or social stress exposure using the Morris water maze
Objective
Assess spatial learning and memory in rats following corticosterone treatment or social stress exposure using the Morris water maze
Subjects
From paperrat • Long-Evans • male • young adult or mid-aged
Cohort notes
From paperSome animals were adrenalectomized with low-level corticosterone replacement in social stress experiments
Corticosterone treatment - 1 month duration (1 month)
Corticosterone treatment - 3 month duration (3 months)
Waiting period after treatment termination (2 weeks)
Morris water maze testing - corticosterone treatment groups
Spatial learning performance in Morris water maze
From paperNot explicitly stated in the provided text
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Spatial memory performance in Morris water maze
From paperNot explicitly stated in the provided text
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Learning impairment presence or absence
From paperNot explicitly stated in the provided text
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Performance differences between treatment groups
From paperNot explicitly stated in the provided text
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Spatial learning performance in Morris water maze
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Spatial memory performance in Morris water maze
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Learning impairment presence or absence
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Performance differences between treatment groups
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Acquisition
Collect raw experimental outputs with enough metadata to preserve sample identity, condition, and timing.
Preprocessing / cleaning
Not explicitly stated in the provided text
Scoring or quantification
Quantify the primary readouts for this experiment: Spatial learning performance in Morris water maze; Spatial memory performance in Morris water maze; Learning impairment presence or absence; Performance differences between treatment groups.
Statistical comparison
Statistical method not yet structured for this page.
Reporting output
Report representative outputs alongside summary comparisons for Spatial learning performance in Morris water maze, Spatial memory performance in Morris water maze, Learning impairment presence or absence, Performance differences between treatment groups.
Source links and direct wording from the methods section for validation and deeper review.
Citation
SR Bodnoff et al. (1995). Enduring effects of chronic corticosterone treatment on spatial learning, synaptic plasticity, and hippocampal neuropathology in young and mid-aged rats. Journal of Neuroscience
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Evidence Quotes
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