Cognition – Place Recognition
Place recognition is a two-trial recognition memory test, which relies on the innate tendency of a mouse to explore a novel environment. Several aspects of behavior can be measured in this test, including exploration, response to novelty, and spatial recognition memory. The test can be run in a Y-maze, where one arm of the maze is blocked during the first trial. After a delay (e.g., 30 minutes), mice are allowed to explore the maze with both arms unblocked: memory of the previously visited arm is indicated by a tendency to explore the previously unvisited (‘novel’) arm.
All mice enter the novel arm first during the second testing trial, however 129svev mice explore the novel arm more that C57 mice during the remainder of the trial (*p<0.05).
Nicotine disrupts memory and is very sedative at high doses. Strain differences are clear here as well.
