Spatial delayed nonmatching-to-sample performances in long-living Ames dwarf mice

Abstract

Ames dwarf mice have an extended lifespan by comparison with normal mice. Behavioral testing has revealed that sometimes Ames dwarf mice also evince superior performances relative to normal mice, but in other cases they do not. In this experiment, Ames dwarf and normal mice were compared on a T-maze test and on a delayed nonmatching-to-sample variant of a T-maze test. On the simple T-maze, Ames dwarf and normal mice committed comparable numbers of errors. On the nonmatching-to-sample task, normal mice mastered the discrimination by the end of the experiment while Ames dwarf mice did not. The apparatus, distances traveled and session duration were equivalent between the two tasks. The poorer performances of Ames dwarf mice on the nonmatching-to-sample task suggests that Ames dwarf mice may not be as capable of learning relatively cognitively complex tasks as normal mice.

Alternate without alternative: neither preference nor learning explains behaviour of C57BL/6J mice in the T-maze

“…None of the protocols gives instructions with regard to testing time, and only one of the protocols (Shoji et al, 2012) provides an example for testing time, but only to emphasise that the tests should be repeated in the same time frame (their example is between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm, with lights 7:00 am-7:00 pm). Searching original studies instead of protocols, the time frame of experiments (if stated) varies, e.g., starting 2 h into the dark phase (Locurto et al, 2002), 3 h before the end of the light phase (Guariglia & Chadman, 2013), 3 h into the light phase (Derenne et al, 2014) or in general 'during the light phase' (Moy et Deacon & Rawlins, 2006;Deacon, 2006;Shoji et al, 2012 andWenk, 1998. al., 2008;Shipton et al, 2014).…”