Morris water maze

Morris water maze (MWM) test is a major behavioral testing method for measuring cognitive impairment of rodents, and it has been widely used to evaluate the cognitive function of neurodegenerative diseases, including AD and Parkinson’s disease (PD) [32]. Thus, in this study, we used the MWM to examine mice’s cognitive function, especially the spatial learning and memory, after 4-week treatments. The MWM contains a pool, a hidden platform, and a video/computer system (version ZH-Morris; Anhui Zhenghua Biological Instrument Co., Ltd.; Anhui, China). The MWM test includes the navigation and spatial probe tests, which were modified as described previously [8]. Briefly, during the navigation test, the mice were trained to escape onto the platform within 60 s in 5 consecutive days. If the animal could not find the platform in the permitted 60 s, it was directed to the platform and stayed on the platform for at least 15 s. On the 7th day, we removed the platform from the pool and carried out the spatial probe test. The video/computer system automatically taped the mouse’s movement, the number of times as the mouse crossed the stage within 60 s was documented.