2.3.3. 2-trial Y maze (Study 2)

Short term memory and spatial discrimination in the Y-maze was assessed as preference for exploring a previously blocked arm of the maze compared to the two familiar arms. The Y-maze had square arms with straight walls (length 35 cm, height 10 cm) which were open at the top. Specific visual clues were placed next to each arm to help differentiate them (a plastic ball, an empty water bottle, a metal pencil cup) in addition to distal room cues. During the first trial one arm was blocked and mice were allowed to explore the two open arms for 5 min. Following an inter trial interval of approximately 2 min during which time the maze was cleaned with a 10% ethanol solution to mask odor cues the mouse was returned to the maze and permitted to explore for a further 5 min. Trials were recorded using a camera suspended from the ceiling above the maze, and exploration in each arm was analyzed using AnyMaze (Stoelting Co. IL). During testing an experimenter monitored the trial remotely from an adjacent room.