Analysis of Learning and Memory Ability in an Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model using the Morris Water Maze

Abstract

A Morris water maze (MWM) experiment forces experimental animals to swim and learn to find a platform hidden in the water. It is widely used in scientific research to assess the learning and memory of animals. Due to the extensive use of the MWM test, visual experimental protocols are essential for researchers. This manuscript uses the latest studies to introduce the protocol of the MWM test. Alzheimer' Disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive loss of memory and cognitive function. An alternative and complementary treatment used for AD is Manual Acupuncture (MA). To assess the learning and memory ability of AD model mice, the MWM test was conducted. The visible platform trial, hidden platform trial, probe trial, and reversal trial of MWM were used to evaluate spatial learning and memory ability. In the visible platform trial, the swimming speed and escape latency of mice in different groups was not significantly different. In the hidden platform and reversal trials, the AD group showed a long escape latency. The escape latency decreased significantly after the MA treatment. Low platform crossover number and the proportion of time in the SW quadrant in the probe trial increased after the MA treatment (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). The results of the MWM tests suggest that MA can effectively improve the spatial learning and memory abilities of AD model mice. Rigorous experimental operations provided assurance of the reliability of the results. Video Link The video component of this article can be found at https://www.jove.com/video/60055/ 1. Preparation 1. Purchase 30 male SAMP8 mice and 10 male SAMR1 mice (age: 8 months). 2. House the mice individually in individual ventilation cages at a temperature of 24 ±2 °C and a 12 h dark/light cycle.

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“…Cognitive dysfunction has been documented as one of the complications of diabetes, suggesting a close link between diabetes and AD (Jash et al, 2020 ). One of the main symptoms of AD is impaired memory (Sharma et al, 2020 ); therefore, to test whether the memory is altered in mice after the injection of AGEs, we conducted the Morris Water Maze, Y-maze, and open field tests and found that the memory of AGE mice decreased significantly and anxiety behavior increased, which is consistent with previous AD research (Tian et al, 2019 ; Du et al, 2020 ). Subsequently, to further study whether the brain of AGE mice can develop AD symptoms, we assessed the expression of AD-related proteins such as P-tau and APP, which were significantly increased in the hippocampus of AGE mice.…”

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“…In experiments with AD animal models, the MWM assay is commonly used to detect the learning ability and memory of the animals (Baeta-Corral and Giménez-Llort, 2015; Gong et al, 2019;Sun et al, 2019). In this study, APP/PS1 doubletransgenic mice and Aβ 25-35 -injected mice were subjected to the MWM test, and they had obvious cognitive dysfunction, consistent with the behavioral phenotype of the AD animal model (Tian et al, 2019).…”

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“…Compared to the Non-Tg, the Tg group exhibited notably fewer platform crossings and spent markedly less time in the SW quadrant. The shorter time spent by the APP/PS1 mice in the SW quadrant, which had been the location of the platform, implies that they exhibited worse memory (Tian et al, 2019). The Tg + EA group stayed obviously longer in the SW quadrant than the Tg group (Figures 2B,C).…”