Stinnette Bradley, Long Jeffrey M, Myrum Craig
Department of Biology, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA.
National Institutes of Health (NIH), Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Neurocognitive Aging Section, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Bio Protoc. 2025 Sep 5;15(17):e5428. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.5428.
The Morris water maze (MWM) is one of the most widely used procedures to assess hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory in rodents. By varying test protocols, researchers can test several different domains of learning and memory. Over multiple testing days, animals learn to swim to a platform hidden just under the water surface by using the spatial relationship between distal cues and the platform. Probe trials, where the platform is rendered unavailable, measure rodents' spatial bias for the area where the platform was previously located. The ability of researchers to control the availability of the platform "on-demand" offers both practical and methodological advantages. Despite MWM's prominence in the field of behavioral neuroscience, the high cost of purchasing a commercial MWM package is often prohibitively expensive for many research labs, especially on-demand platforms. Here, we describe a low-cost strategy for a build-your-own MWM that includes a remote-controlled on-demand platform (530 USD) and tank (550 USD). It is our hope that disseminating low-cost strategies aimed at expanding access to high-quality research tools at underfunded research institutions will accelerate biomedical discovery and foster further innovation. Key features • An on-demand platform allows for seamless testing (e.g., during probe trials, when the platform is usually removed), without interrupting the experiment to adjust/remove the platform. • The focus here is to offer a step-by-step, economical alternative to otherwise costly, commercial on-demand platforms. • Additionally, the protocol offers cost-effective ways of assembling the tank, preparing the testing environment, and implementing a testing protocol. • We include testing strategies specifically developed for aged rats, as these animals are routinely used in our laboratories.
莫里斯水迷宫（MWM）是评估啮齿动物海马体依赖的空间学习和记忆最广泛使用的方法之一。通过改变测试方案，研究人员可以测试学习和记忆的几个不同领域。在多个测试日中，动物通过利用远处线索与平台之间的空间关系，学会游向隐藏在水面下的平台。在平台不可用的探测试验中，测量啮齿动物对平台先前所在区域的空间偏好。研究人员能够“按需”控制平台可用性，这在实际操作和方法上都具有优势。尽管MWM在行为神经科学领域很突出，但购买商业MWM套装的高昂成本对许多研究实验室来说往往高得令人望而却步，尤其是按需平台。在这里，我们描述了一种低成本的自制MWM策略，包括一个遥控按需平台（约530美元）和水箱（约550美元）。我们希望传播低成本策略，旨在扩大资金不足的研究机构获得高质量研究工具的机会，这将加速生物医学发现并促进进一步创新。主要特点 • 按需平台允许进行无缝测试（例如，在探测试验期间，通常会移除平台），而无需中断实验来调整/移除平台。 • 这里的重点是提供一种逐步的、经济的替代方案，以替代原本昂贵的商业按需平台。 • 此外，该方案提供了经济有效的方法来组装水箱、准备测试环境和实施测试方案。 • 我们包括专门为老年大鼠开发的测试策略，因为这些动物在我们实验室中经常使用。
