Table 7.
Behavioral tests that are commonly used to assess learning and memory in rodents. CS = conditioned stimulus; US = unconditioned stimulus.
Behavioral paradigm |
Description | Type of memory tested |
Indicator of learning/memor y |
References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Eyeblink conditioning | Rodents or humans learn to associate a predictive cue (CS) with an eyeblink-eliciting stimulus (US) | Associative | Percentage of CS-US trials that elicit a conditioned eyeblink response | (50, 51, 495, 596) |
Fear conditioning | Rodent learns to associate a predictive cue or context (CS) with an aversive stimulus (US) | Associative | Amount of time spent in a conditioned freezing response | (112, 113, 153, 235) |
Morris water maze | Rodent learns to find a hidden escape platform that is located in a fixed position in a pool of water | Spatial | Time to escape, path length | (65, 121, 353) |
Radial arm water maze | Rodent learns to find a hidden escape platform that is located at the end of one of the maze arms. | Spatial working memory | Number of incorrect arm entries | (136, 228, 398, 597) |
Delayed alternation T-maze | Rodents must remember which arm was entered in the most recent trial and then enter the opposite arm | Working memory | Proportion of correct responses | (32, 453, 609, 610) |