Alternate without alternative: neither preference nor learning explains behaviour of C57BL/6J mice in the T-maze
| Autor: | Pia Kahnau, Lars Lewejohann, Anne Habedank |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
mice
600 Technik Medizin angewandte Wissenschaften::630 Landwirtschaft::630 Landwirtschaft und verwandte Bereiche T-maze C57bl 6j Preference alternation Behavioral Neuroscience Alternation (formal language theory) Animal Science and Zoology Psychology preference reward choice Cognitive psychology Y-maze |
| DOI: | 10.17169/refubium-31270 |
| Popis: | In rodents, the T-maze is commonly used to investigate spontaneous alternating behaviour, but it can also be used to investigate preference between goods. However, for T-maze preference tests with mice there is no recommended protocol and researchers frequently report reproduction difficulties. Here, we tried to develop an efficient protocol with female C57BL/6J CrL mice for preference tests. We used two different designs, adapting habituation, cues and trial timing. However, in both experiments mice did not show any preference, although we used goods which we knew mice find rewarding. Instead, they alternated choices indicating that exploratory behaviour overruled preference. We argue that this behavioural strategy has evolved as an adaptive trait in saturated conditions where there is no need to take the reward immediately. Therefore, we deem the T-maze unsuitable for preference testing with the procedures we used here. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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