Morris Water Maze Task for Spatial Memory

Two weeks after end of treatment, mice were trained in the reference memory version of the Morris water maze task [41] (link) to locate a hidden escape platform in a circular pool (1.89 m diameter). Water was made opaque with non-toxic white paint and kept at a temperature of 19–20°C. Each mouse was given 6 trials a day for 5 consecutive days with an inter-trial interval (ITI) of 30 mins. Platform position was changed after day 3 (Figure 4). Mice were released from one of four possible starting points and allowed to search up to 120 s for the platform. During each day the starting position remained constant. Irrespective of trial performance mice were guided to the platform and allowed to remain there for at least 15 s. Swim paths were recorded using Ethovision (Noldus) and further analyzed using Matlab (The Mathworks, USA).