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Morris water maze: procedures for assessing spatial and related forms of learning and memory

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Vorhees, Charles V, Williams, Michael T·2006·Nature Protocols
DOI 10.1038/nprot.2006.116PMC PMC2895266
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Abstract

The Morris water maze (MWM) is a test of spatial learning for rodents that relies on distal cues to navigate from start locations around the perimeter of an open swimming arena to locate a submerged escape platform. Spatial learning is assessed across repeated trials and reference memory is determined by preference for the platform area when the platform is absent. Reversal and shift trials enhance the detection of spatial impairments. Trial-dependent, latent and discrimination learning can be assessed using modifications of the basic protocol. Search-to-platform area determines the degree of reliance on spatial versus non-spatial strategies. Cued trials determine whether performance factors that are unrelated to place learning are present. Escape from water is relatively immune from activity or body mass differences, making it ideal for many experimental models. The MWM has proven to be a robust and reliable test that is strongly correlated with hippocampal synaptic plasticity and NMDA receptor function. We present protocols for performing variants of the MWM test, from which results can be obtained from individual animals in as few as 6 days.

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  • Spatial navigation paradigms are known to depend on normal synaptic function in the hippocampal CA1 region.

    “spatial navigation paradigms, which are known to be dependent on normal synaptic function in this region (Kleinknecht et al. 2012; Vorhees and Williams 2006).”

    From The Serine/Threonine Kinase <scp>NDR2</scp> Regulates Integrin Signaling, Synapse Formation, and Synaptic Plasticity in the Hippocampus (2025) · cites this paper as Vorhees and Williams 2006

    The Introduction (page unavailable) links Morris water maze performance to long-term potentiation and NMDA receptor function and describes the task as useful for investigating hippocampal circuitry. It does not establish that spatial navigation paradigms depend on normal synaptic function specifically in hippocampal CA1; a search for CA1 found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Vorhees, C. V., & Williams, M. T.
Affiliations
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Vorhees, Charles V
ORCID
Venue
Nature Protocols
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2006-07-27
Volume
1
Issue
2
Pages
848-858
ISSN
  • 1750-2799 (ISSN-L)
  • 1754-2189
DOI
10.1038/nprot.2006.116
PMC
PMC2895266
OpenAlex
W1994580609
Cited by
4,629
References
3
Citations by year
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FWCI
11.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Nature Protocols (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA021394, DA014269, K01DA014269, DA 006733, R01DA006733, DA021394)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (T32ES007051, ES007051)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Spatial Cognition and Navigation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
Morris water maze, spatial learning, spatial memory, reference memory, reversal learning, latent learning, discrimination learning, hippocampal synaptic plasticity
MeSH terms
Animals, Cues, Memory, Psychomotor Performance, Spatial Behavior, Swimming, Water, Maze Learning, Mice, Rats

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