When Familiar Faces Feel Better: A Framework for Social Neurocognitive Aging in a Rat Model

Dutta Gupta S, Long JM, Rapp PR. eNeuro 2026;13(2):ENEURO.0422-25.2025.

The test records were read once by AI and checked by code. No person has reviewed them yet. How records are made

Morris water maze test

Setting	Value	Paper’s words
Pool size, water temperature, platform size, platform depth below the surface, trial duration	Cited to other work	“an extensively validated hippocampus-dependent “place” version of the Morris water maze (Gallagher et al., 1993; Tarbox et al., 2025)”
Number of trials	Sparse training three trials per day	“animals received 8 consecutive days of sparse training (three trials per day)”
Other settings in the paper
Sparse training	8 consecutive days	“animals received 8 consecutive days of sparse training”
Probe trials	four	“interspersed with four probe trials across days, one on the last trial every other day”
Probe trials	one on the last trial every other day	“interspersed with four probe trials across days, one on the last trial every other day”
Platform was inaccessible	Probe trials first 30 s of the trial	“During the probe trials, the platform was inaccessible for the first 30 s of the trial”
Exclusion criteria	failure on the nonspatial, cued variant of the water maze	“Exclusion criteria were failure on the nonspatial, cued variant of the water maze”
Apparatus
Hidden escape platform		“to the hidden escape platform”
Methods cited to other work
“place” version of the task, including the pool, water, platform and trial length values the passage does not print	Gallagher et al., 1993; Tarbox et al., 2025
Analysis of spatial preference on probe trials	Gallagher et al., 1993	“spatial preference for the escape platform was analyzed (Gallagher et al., 1993)”
Calculation of the learning index (LI) score	Gallagher et al., 1993	“A learning index (LI) score calculated for each animal reflected their proximity (in centimeter) to the hidden escape platform across interspersed probe trials during training (Gallagher et al., 1993)”

Compare with 6 other papers

Setting	Value	Paper’s words
Arena size	40 × 80 × 40 cm	“featured three adjacent compartments (40 × 80 × 40 cm; L × W × H)”
Session duration	Habituated to the empty arena Unclear 10 min This is the only time in the apparatus the passages print, and it is for habituation to the empty arena. They print no length for the sociability or social novelty trials, so it is not clear that 10 min is the length of a session.	“Rats were habituated to the empty arena for 10 min”
Other settings in the paper
After the water maze	10–12 d	“The three-chamber social interaction test was conducted 10–12 d after the water maze”
Acclimated to a novel test room	briefly	“Animals were briefly acclimated to a novel test room”
Openings	20 × 18 cm	“divided by walls with 20 × 18 cm openings”
Small enclosure	38 × 20 × 20 cm	“an identical small enclosure (38 × 20 × 20 cm; L × W × H)”
Social novelty trial	followed immediately	“In the social novelty trial that followed immediately”
Cleaned between test subjects	70% alcohol	“The arena and enclosures were cleaned between test subjects with 70% alcohol”
Zones of interest	defined around each stimulus cage	“with zones of interest defined around each stimulus cage”
Investigation of either the social or nonsocial stimulus	within ∼3 cm of an enclosure with its nose oriented toward the front opening	“Investigation of either the social or nonsocial stimulus was considered when the experimental animal was within ∼3 cm of an enclosure with its nose oriented toward the front opening”
Scoring	validated by an experimenter blind to group identity	“Scoring was validated by an experimenter blind to group identity”
Following the baseline social cognition test	Experiment 2 Three to five days	“Three to five days following the baseline social cognition test, young and aged rats in Experiment 2 randomly received TMS or sham stimulation”
After the administration of either sham or TMS	Posttreatment 2 d	“Posttreatment social behavior was assessed using a different set of trapped conspecifics in the three-chamber test 2 d after the administration of either sham or TMS”
Exclusion criteria	failure to sample all available choices	“Exclusion criteria were failure on the nonspatial, cued variant of the water maze, failure to sample all available choices in the social and olfactory tests”
Apparatus
Three-chamber apparatus	Maze Engineers	“The custom apparatus (Maze Engineers) featured three adjacent compartments”
ANY-maze software	Stoelting	“recorded using the ANY-maze software (Stoelting)”
Small enclosure		“an identical small enclosure (38 × 20 × 20 cm; L × W × H)”
Methods cited to other work
The test of sociability and social novelty as a whole; the passages print no length for the sociability or social novelty trials	Moy et al., 2004	“to evaluate sociability and social novelty (Moy et al., 2004)”

When Familiar Faces Feel Better: A Framework for Social Neurocognitive Aging in a Rat Model

Dutta Gupta S, Long JM, Rapp PR. eNeuro 2026;13(2):ENEURO.0422-25.2025.

The test records were read once by AI and checked by code. No person has reviewed them yet. How records are made

Morris water maze test

Compare with 2 other papers

Setting	Value	Paper’s words
Pool size, water temperature, platform size, platform depth below the surface, trial duration	Cited to other work	“an extensively validated hippocampus-dependent “place” version of the Morris water maze (Gallagher et al., 1993; Tarbox et al., 2025)”
Number of trials	Sparse training three trials per day	“animals received 8 consecutive days of sparse training (three trials per day)”
Other settings in the paper
Sparse training	8 consecutive days	“animals received 8 consecutive days of sparse training”
Probe trials	four	“interspersed with four probe trials across days, one on the last trial every other day”
Probe trials	one on the last trial every other day	“interspersed with four probe trials across days, one on the last trial every other day”
Platform was inaccessible	Probe trials first 30 s of the trial	“During the probe trials, the platform was inaccessible for the first 30 s of the trial”
Exclusion criteria	failure on the nonspatial, cued variant of the water maze	“Exclusion criteria were failure on the nonspatial, cued variant of the water maze”
Apparatus
Hidden escape platform		“to the hidden escape platform”
Methods cited to other work
“place” version of the task, including the pool, water, platform and trial length values the passage does not print	Gallagher et al., 1993; Tarbox et al., 2025
Analysis of spatial preference on probe trials	Gallagher et al., 1993	“spatial preference for the escape platform was analyzed (Gallagher et al., 1993)”
Calculation of the learning index (LI) score	Gallagher et al., 1993	“A learning index (LI) score calculated for each animal reflected their proximity (in centimeter) to the hidden escape platform across interspersed probe trials during training (Gallagher et al., 1993)”

Compare with 6 other papers

Setting	Value	Paper’s words
Arena size	40 × 80 × 40 cm	“featured three adjacent compartments (40 × 80 × 40 cm; L × W × H)”
Session duration	Habituated to the empty arena Unclear 10 min This is the only time in the apparatus the passages print, and it is for habituation to the empty arena. They print no length for the sociability or social novelty trials, so it is not clear that 10 min is the length of a session.	“Rats were habituated to the empty arena for 10 min”
Other settings in the paper
After the water maze	10–12 d	“The three-chamber social interaction test was conducted 10–12 d after the water maze”
Acclimated to a novel test room	briefly	“Animals were briefly acclimated to a novel test room”
Openings	20 × 18 cm	“divided by walls with 20 × 18 cm openings”
Small enclosure	38 × 20 × 20 cm	“an identical small enclosure (38 × 20 × 20 cm; L × W × H)”
Social novelty trial	followed immediately	“In the social novelty trial that followed immediately”
Cleaned between test subjects	70% alcohol	“The arena and enclosures were cleaned between test subjects with 70% alcohol”
Zones of interest	defined around each stimulus cage	“with zones of interest defined around each stimulus cage”
Investigation of either the social or nonsocial stimulus	within ∼3 cm of an enclosure with its nose oriented toward the front opening	“Investigation of either the social or nonsocial stimulus was considered when the experimental animal was within ∼3 cm of an enclosure with its nose oriented toward the front opening”
Scoring	validated by an experimenter blind to group identity	“Scoring was validated by an experimenter blind to group identity”
Following the baseline social cognition test	Experiment 2 Three to five days	“Three to five days following the baseline social cognition test, young and aged rats in Experiment 2 randomly received TMS or sham stimulation”
After the administration of either sham or TMS	Posttreatment 2 d	“Posttreatment social behavior was assessed using a different set of trapped conspecifics in the three-chamber test 2 d after the administration of either sham or TMS”
Exclusion criteria	failure to sample all available choices	“Exclusion criteria were failure on the nonspatial, cued variant of the water maze, failure to sample all available choices in the social and olfactory tests”
Apparatus
Three-chamber apparatus	Maze Engineers	“The custom apparatus (Maze Engineers) featured three adjacent compartments”
ANY-maze software	Stoelting	“recorded using the ANY-maze software (Stoelting)”
Small enclosure		“an identical small enclosure (38 × 20 × 20 cm; L × W × H)”
Methods cited to other work
The test of sociability and social novelty as a whole; the passages print no length for the sociability or social novelty trials	Moy et al., 2004	“to evaluate sociability and social novelty (Moy et al., 2004)”