title: Emergence of a cue strategy preference on the water maze task in aged C57B6 x SJL F1 hybrid mice.
abstract: The effects of age on cue learning, spatial reference memory, and strategy preference were assessed in B6 x SJL F1 mice by using the Morris water maze. This mouse strain is of particular interest because it is the background strain for a common transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease, the Tg2576 mouse, which develops plaques and other neurobiological markers of pathology beginning at 8 mo and increasing in severity with advanced age. In the current study, 12- and 23-mo-old C57B6 x SJL F1 mice were serially trained in cue and place versions of the Morris water maze task. At the completion of training, mice received a strategy probe test in which place (hidden) and cue (visible) strategies were in competition. Cue and spatial learning ability was maintained between 12 and 23 mo of age; however, on the strategy preference probe test, the 23-mo-old mice exhibited a significant bias toward the selection of a cue strategy. There was no relationship between strategy preference in the probe test and spatial learning ability, but the 23-mo-old mice did exhibit a strong trend toward shorter latencies during visible platform training, possibly reflecting the enhanced function of striatal-based neural systems in aging. These data demonstrate that 23-mo-old C57B6 x SJL F1 mice are capable of effective place learning, but if a place strategy is pitted against the use of a cue strategy, the use of a cue strategy predominates in the aged mice. The strategy preference observed here may reflect an emergence of differential processing in underlying brain circuitry with age in the B6 x SJL F1 mouse strain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Mayo Graduate School, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida 32224, USA. nicolle.michelle@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Michelle M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Nicolle
authors.forename: Sonya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prescott
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bizon
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water