Table 1 Summary of mazes and tasks used to evaluate spatial memory in rodents. For each maze (8-Radial Arm Maze; Morris Water Maze; Radial Arm Water Maze; T/Y-Maze) the different memory tasks that can be performed and the correspondent types of memory that are being assessed, as well as the parameters that should be recorded in each case (ST = Short-term; LT = Long-term; WME = Working memory errors; RME = Reference memory errors) are presented
Maze | Task/paradigm | Memory assessed (short/long term) | Recorded parameters | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Eight-arm radial maze | Olton Task | ST working memory | Number of re-entries in arms in the first 8 choices (WME); Total choices required to visit all 8 arms: Time taken to complete the trial | [154] |
Delayed non-matching to sample | ST working memory | Entries into the rewarded arms in the sample phase and Re-entries into arms previously visited within the choice phase (WME) | [139] | |
Working and reference memory task | ST working memory and LT reference memory | Number of entries in arms that were never baited (RME); Number of re-entries into arms within a trial (WME) | [98] | |
Delayed matching to sample | ST working memory | Entries into no rewarded arms and Re-entries into arms previously visited within the choice phase (WME) | [53] | |
Morris water maze | Classic task | Acquisition | Escape Latency compared across days | [136] |
Spatial probe trial | ST or LT memory | Time that the rat spent in the quadrant that previously contained the platform | [136] | |
Reversal learning paradigm | Learning flexibility/capacity and ST working memory | Escape latency, swim speed, distance travelled, quadrant spent time- comparison between trials in each day. | [10] | |
Radial arm water maze | Working and reference memory task | ST working memory and LT reference memory | Latency to find platform, Swim speed, Distance travelled, WME (re-entries within a trial) and RME (entries in arms that do not contain the platform) | [189] |
Reversal learning paradigm | Learning flexibility and ST working memory | Latency to find platform, swim speed, Distance travelled, working memory errors (re-entries within a trial)—comparison between trials in each day | [189] | |
“Continuous paradigm” | ST working memory | Number of errors in the first 8 choices (WME), total choices required to visit all eight channels, time taken to complete the trial | [142] | |
T/Y- maze | Continuous alternation task | ST working memory | Failure to alternate between the two arms during a fixed period of time (WME) | [46] |
Delayed non-matching to sample | ST working memory | Number of times the animal fails to alternate from sample phase to choice phase (WME) | ||
Delayed matching to sample | ST working memory | Number of times the animal fails to choose the arm that has been always rewarded (WME) |