Affiliation:
1. Department of Pathology Zhejiang University School of Medicine Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Hangzhou Zhejiang China
2. Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology Zhejiang University School of Medicine Hangzhou Zhejiang China
3. System Medicine Research Center, Center for Neuroscience NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology Hangzhou Zhejiang China
4. Department of Biological Science Zhejiang University College of Life Sciences Hangzhou Zhejiang China
5. Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry Zhejiang University School of Medicine Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Hangzhou Zhejiang China
6. NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology Zhejiang University School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine Hangzhou Zhejiang China
Abstract
AbstractThe open field (OF) test is a widely used behavioral assay in animal studies to assess locomotion, emotion, and cognition. In open‐field‐based object recognition tasks, the open arena is equipped with combinations of objects to allow the examination of various aspects of learning and memory. In this article, we provide a protocol for open‐field‐based unimodal memory tests that assess tactile or visual unimodal cognitive behavior in mice. These tests do not require mice to be restricted from eating or drinking and do not involve aversive stimuli, such as electric shock, high‐decibel sound waves, bright light, or forced swimming. Inside the apparatus, mice can freely and spontaneously explore the objects and the environment. Sniffing of, or direct contact with, objects is considered a cognitive exploration of the objects, and the timing and number of such behaviors can be recorded. During the acquisition phase, two identical objects are provided. After an intertrial interval, the retrieval phase is initiated, during which one object is replaced with a new object that is different from the previous one. Decorative clear domes are used prevent direct tactile contact with the objects, whereas infrared illumination is used to block visual information from the objects. By alternating the access to visual or tactile features of the objects in the acquisition and retrieval phases, the experimenters can assess visual or tactile unimodal cognition. Here, we describe our own instrumentation and application for experiments, and demonstrate that the modified device is capable of testing visual or tactile unimodal cognition in mice. Although easy to perform, this task/test can accurately reflect unimodal cognitive performance in mice, which can provide solid and reproducible data support to related studies. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.Basic Protocol 1: Validation of the open‐field‐based unimodal object recognition testBasic Protocol 2: Evaluation of chronic stress effects on unimodal cognition using the open‐field‐based unimodal cognitive test
Subject
Medical Laboratory Technology,Health Informatics,General Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics,General Immunology and Microbiology,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Neuroscience