Abstract
Heather Schellinck developed a simple and reliable test of olfactory learning and memory in mice using a Pavlovian conditioned odour preference task in which CD1 mice learned to discriminate between two odours after two daily 10-min trials with the CS+ odour (sugar reward) and two trials with the CS− odour (no sugar) over 4 days. Mice remembered the CS+ for up to 60 days after training in this study and, in other studies, male and female C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice could remember the odour discrimination for up to 9 months after training. Mice up to 24 months of age can learn and remember the odour preferences. Likewise, the 5×FAD mouse model of Alzheimer disease showed no odour memory deficits in this task. In the present study we developed a 1-day training procedure in which male and female mice received eight CS+ and eight CS− odour presentations on 1 day and were then tested for memory 24 h, 7 days and 30 days later. Mice (C57BL/6J × SJL/J and C57BL/6J) given the 1-day training showed a conditioned odour preference on 24 h, and 7-day memory tests with no sex differences. After 30 days the odour preference was not significant. Mice (C57BL/6J) given four CS+ and four CS− trials showed no significant odour preference on 24 h and 7-day memory tests. The results suggest that different 1-day training paradigms result in different memory strength. Such a 1-day appetitive training test could be valuable for studying the neurobiological bases of short-, long-, and very long-term memory.
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Brown, R.E., Schnare, O.K., Habib, E.B., Roddick, K.M. (2023). Development of a One-Day Test of Olfactory Learning and Memory in Mice. In: Schaal, B., Rekow, D., Keller, M., Damon, F. (eds) Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 15. CSiV 2021. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35159-4_3
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