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A Behavioral Assay for Investigating the Role of Spatial Memory During Instinctive Defense in Mice

Vale, R; Evans, D; Branco, T; (2018) A Behavioral Assay for Investigating the Role of Spatial Memory During Instinctive Defense in Mice. Journal of Visualized Experiments (137) 10.3791/56988. Green open access

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Abstract

Evolution has selected a repertoire of defensive behaviors that are essential for survival across all animal species. These behaviors are often stereotyped actions elicited in response to innately aversive sensory stimuli, but their success requires enough flexibility for adapting to different spatial environments, which can change rapidly. Here, we describe a behavioral assay to evaluate the influence of learned spatial knowledge on defensive behaviors in mice. We have adapted the widely used Barnes maze spatial memory assay to investigate how mice navigate to a shelter during escape responses to innately aversive sensory stimuli in a novel environment, and how they adapt to acute changes in the environment. This new assay is an ethological paradigm that does not require training and exploits the natural exploration patterns and navigation strategies in mice. We propose that the set of protocols described here are a powerful means of studying goal-directed behaviors and stimulus-triggered navigation, which should be of interest to both the fields of instinctive behaviors and spatial memory.

Type: Article
Title: A Behavioral Assay for Investigating the Role of Spatial Memory During Instinctive Defense in Mice
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.3791/56988
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.3791/56988
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2018 Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Keywords: Animals, Biological Assay, Male, Mice, Spatial Learning, Spatial Memory
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10059591
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