Monitoring spatial learning and memory in Alzheimer's disease mouse models using the morris water maze

Abstract

Mouse models of Alzheimer's Disease are essential for understanding how pathological cascades alter neural circuitry and eventually disrupt cognitive function. A key prerequisite for the use of such models, therefore, is the ability to accurately and reliably measure cognitive function. The Morris Water Maze has emerged in the field as the standard test for assessing spatial cognition. There are many variations on the exact procedures and types of analysis that can be done within the framework of this test. We detail a procedure, with variations, that can be used to robustly detect cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's Disease mouse models as well as factors that ameliorate those deficits. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.