Cited by 400Memory and Neural MechanismsStress Responses and CortisolAnimal Behavior and Welfare Studies

Endogenous anxiety and stress responses in water maze and Barnes maze spatial memory tasks

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Harrison, F.E., Hosseini, A.H., McDonald, M.P.·2009·Behavioural Brain Research

Abstract

The effects of abnormally high or low stress on learning are well established. The Barnes maze and Morris water maze are two commonly used tests of spatial memory, of which the water maze is considered more stressful; however, until now this has not been demonstrated empirically. In the present study, mice matched for performance on commonly used anxiety tasks were trained on either the Barnes maze or water maze or received no cognitive testing. Water-maze training induced greater increases in plasma corticosterone than did Barnes maze training, assessed 30 min after the final session. Importantly, spatial learning was inversely correlated with corticosterone levels in the water maze but not the Barnes maze, suggesting that performance on the water maze may be more affected by test-induced stress even within wild-type subjects of the same age and gender. These findings are important when considering the appropriate cognitive tasks for any experiment in which stress responses may differ systematically across groups.

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Authors
Harrison, F. E., Hosseini, A. H., & McDonald, M. P.
Affiliations
  • Vanderbilt University (US)
  • University of Tennessee Health Science Center (US)
Corresponding author
Harrison, F.E.
Venue
Behavioural Brain Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-03
Volume
198
Issue
1
Pages
247-251
ISSN
0166-4328 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1983937997
Cited by
399
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 19
FWCI
7.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Behavioural Brain Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG022439, AG-022439)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK59637, DK 20593, U24DK059637, P30DK020593)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
Keywords
spatial memory, water maze, Barnes maze, corticosterone, anxiety, stress hormones, spatial learning, mice, cognitive assessment
MeSH terms
Analysis of Variance, Animals, Anxiety, Cognition, Corticosterone, Exploratory Behavior, Male, Memory, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Psychomotor Performance, Radioimmunoassay, Social Behavior, Space Perception, Spatial Behavior, Stress, Psychological, Swimming, Maze Learning, Mice

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