Source Paper
Cognitive neurobehavior and synaptic plasticity after vagus nerve stimulation in female rats: Interaction between estrous cycle and neurostimulation
Olsen LK, Jones KA, Sharma B, Ethridge VT, Gargas NM et al.
Bioelectron Med • 2026
Passive Avoidance Task (PAT)
Objective: To measure associative aversion learning using passive avoidance behavior
This is a Passive Avoidance Task (PAT) protocol using Rat as the model organism. The procedure involves 5 procedural steps, 3 equipment items, 1 materials. Extracted from a 2026 paper published in Bioelectron Med.
Model and subjects
Rat • Sprague-Dawley • Female • 10-12 weeks at the time of stimulation • 44
Study window
~1 day study window
Core workflow
Habituation • Training Day • Foot Shock Administration
Primary readouts
- Latency to enter the dark box from the well-lit box
- Number of rats 'hesitant' (> 160 s) versus 'not hesitant' to enter the dark box
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Habituation
Rats were habituated to the apparatus for five minutes
View evidence from paper
“Rats were habituated to the apparatus for five min”
Training Day
Rats were placed into a well-lit box and allowed to move into a dark box of the same size
View evidence from paper
“rats were placed into a well-lit box (25 cm × 21 cm × 17 cm) and allowed to move into a dark box of the same size”
Foot Shock Administration
If the rat crossed to the dark box, a one-time 0.75 mA foot shock was administered
View evidence from paper
“If the rat chose to cross over to the dark box, a one-time 0.75 mA foot shock (FS) was administered”
Aversive Training
After foot shock, rat remained in dark box for additional 30 seconds to facilitate aversive training
View evidence from paper
“followed by an additional 30 s in the dark box to facilitate aversive training by associating the dark box with the FS”
Testing Day (24h later)
After 24 hours, the rat was returned to the well-lit box and latency to enter dark box was measured
View evidence from paper
“After 24 h the rat was returned to the well-lit box. Latency to enter the dark box from the well-lit box was measured”