2.5. Morris Water Maze (MWM) Test

The same procedure as our previous work was used to assess kindling, LFS, and AM251 effects on spatial learning and memory of the rats in the Morris water maze (MWM) [8]. The MWM was a black circular swimming pool (diameter: 160 cm, height: 80 cm, and water depth: 40 cm) filled with water. The MWM was divided into four equal quadrants. Some visual cues were placed around it. A hidden submerged black square platform (each edge: 10 cm and depth: 1.5 cm beneath the water surface) was placed in the middle of the target quadrant. The behavior of the rats was recorded via a camera (above the center of the pool) and a recording system (Noldus Ethovision® system 7.1). The MWM included three phases: the acquisition phase, the probe test (two hours after the acquisition phase), and the visible platform test. Each phase was performed in three blocks. Every block was comprised of four trials. In the spatial acquisition phase (the first phase), the rats were released into the water while their faces were toward the wall of the quadrant. They were allowed to find the hidden submerged platform in 60 seconds (4 trials with intervals of 20 seconds). After 30 minutes, they started from a different randomly chosen block (4 trials were performed in each block). Every rat was released from 4 different releasing points. After finding the platform, the rats could rest for 20 seconds. Every trial, the escape latency to find the hidden platform, path length, and velocity were calculated. In the probe test phase (the second phase), spatial memory retention was evaluated. The platform was removed in this phase. Every rat was allowed to swim for 60 seconds. The percentages of time and distance of swimming in the target quadrant (quadrant 4) were the criteria to assess spatial memory retention. In the last phase, the visible platform test was performed to assess the possibility of interferences among sensory, motor, or motivation functions. In this test, the escaping ability of the rats to find the visible platform was evaluated (the platform was placed 2 cm above the water surface and was distinguishable via an aluminum foil).