Acquisition training

Acquisition training was conducted as described in Zelinski et al. (2014). Each rat received one session daily for six consecutive days at 17:30 [ZT10.5 (zeitgeber time)]. Each session consisted of eight trials, with four release locations around the water maze being used. The release location for the trials were pseudorandomized so that in all sessions the release position changed between rats and every rat was released from each location twice. The escape platform was placed in one quadrant of the maze and was kept in that position for the entirety of the training period. For each trial, rats were carried counter-clockwise around the maze in their cages to a chair at the proper release position and were released into the water as close to the edge as possible with their noses facing the outside of the pool. Rats swam until they either found and climbed upon the escape platform, or 60 s had elapsed, at which point they were guided to the platform by the experimenter. Once rats were on the platform they were left there for about 10 s and then returned to their cage. Between rats the water was agitated to eliminate any odor cues that could be used to locate the platform. Trials were analyzed for the latency to the platform and path length.