The Maze Book Theories, Practice and Protocols for Testing Rodent Cognition

About this book

This vibrant collection delivers a laboratory roadmap of testing cognition in the rodent. While rodents and mazes are the main center and focus of The Maze Book: Theories, Practice and Protocols for Testing Rodent Cognition, many aspects in the field of learning and memory are discussed and detailed, spanning from the molecular to the human, with every chapter delivering a comprehensive review of historical milestones in order to provide context for past discoveries, new findings, and future studies. Didactic foundations, operational definitions, and theory, as well as practical experimental and apparatus set-up, data analysis, and interpretation instructions are included in the first part of the book, while part two contains step-by-step protocols, troubleshooting, and tips from experts in the field. Authoritative and inspirational, The Maze Book: Theories, Practice and Protocols for Testing Rodent Cognition serves as a detailed and practical manual for scientists wishing to implement these tools in their laboratories and for scholars interested in this powerful field.

Contents

Part I: Why? Foundations of Rodent Learning and Memory: Milestones, Mazes, and Mechanisms
1. Rodent Mazes and Memory: Continuing the Search for the Engram
Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson
2. The Mazes
Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson, Jill M. Daniel, and Stephanie Koebele
3. The Watermaze
Richard G.M. Morris
4. Behavioral Consequences of Early Disruption and Injury to the Developing Brain: Studying Rodent Models
Dongnhu T. Truong and R. Holly Fitch
5. Insights into Age-Related Cognitive Decline: Coupling Neurophysiological and Behavioral Approaches
Lesley A. Schimanski and Carol A. Barnes
6. Organization and Structure of Brain Systems Supporting Memory
Jena B. Hales and Robert E. Clark
7. Pharmacologically Manipulating Learning and Memory
Ashley M. Fortress and Karyn M. Frick
8. Stress and Spatial Maze Performance in the Rat
Sara B. Taylor, Cheryl D. Conrad, and M. Foster Olive
9. Genetically Modified Rodent Models: A New Generation of Translational Cognitive Science
Salvatore Oddo and Masashi Kitazawa
10. Epigenetics of Cognition and Neurodegenerative Disorders
Paul Coleman, Matthew Huentelman, and Travis Dunckley
11. The Importance of Incorporating Both Sexes and Embracing Hormonal Diversity When Conducting Rodent Behavioral Assays
Sarah E. Mennenga and Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson
12. A Primer of Methods in Biobehavioral Research: Improving a Study’s Design, Analysis, and Write Up
Joshua S. Talboom, Stephen G. West, and Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson
13. Optimal Guidelines for Monitoring and Maintaining Rodent Health for Behavioral Research: What’s Right with My Rodent?
Joanne Tetens-Woodring

Part II: How? The Mazes: Protocols and Practice to Test Rodent Cognition
14. General Water-Escape Maze Testing Necessities and Guidelines for Rodents
Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson
15. Water Radial-Arm Maze: 4 out of 8 Arms Platformed Protocol for Rodents
Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson
16. Water Radial-Arm Maze: 7 Out of 8 Arms Platformed Protocol for Rodents
Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson
17. Land Radial-Arm Maze: 8 Out of 8 Arms Baited with Food Protocol for Rodents
Jill M. Daniel
18. Delayed Match to Sample Protocol for Rodents
Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson
19. Morris Maze Protocol for Rodents
Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson
20. The Visible Platform Protocol for Rodents
Heather A. Bimonte-Nelson

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