Name: analyzing spatial learning and prosocial behavior in mice using the barnes maze and damsel-in-distress paradigms
Uploaded: 2018-11-17T12:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Analyzing Spatial Learning and Prosocial Behavior in Mice Using the Barnes Maze and Damsel-in-Distress Paradigms at JoVE.com

We at Hampden-Sydney College give acknowledgement and appreciation to Sean Walden, Zach Leitner, Hunter Lee, and Anton Kheirani for their involvement in testing the protocols for the Barnes maze and Damsel-in-Distress experiments. We would also like to thank James Foster at Randolph-Macon College for the construction of the Barnes maze and the Randolph-Macon College Department of Biology for providing testing space.

All methods described here were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of Hampden-Sydney College or Randolph-Macon College (where some work was previously performed).
1. Basic Housing of Mice
<ol>
	<li>House the mice in plastic cages with solid bottoms and sides, and a layer of soft bedding and nesting material such as paper shredding. Use bedding that is composed of shredded corn cobs or wood shavings, and ensure that the bedding is changed regularly for sanitat...

<ol>
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The Barnes maze and the Damsel-in-distress experiments are inexpensive, quick, and relatively easy ways to evaluate spatial learning, locomotor activity, and prosocial behavior in mice. Other advantages include the absence of overt stressors, pain, or food restriction for the animal. Like most learning/memory paradigms, a disadvantage of the Barnes maze is the number of trials required for the animals to learn where the target hole is located and enter.
Data collection:
<p class="jove_cont...

The purpose of this protocol is to measure spatial learning and memory in mice using the Barnes maze as well as social responsiveness and locomotion using the Damsel-in-Distress paradigm. Commonly used spatial learning and memory tests for rodents include the radial arm maze, which measures a mouse&#39;s ability to find hidden food in one arm of a multi-spoked apparatus, and the Morris water maze, which places a mouse in a large tub or pool of water and assesses how long it takes to find a hidden underwater platform. Typically, training for these paradigms spans multiple trials and allows the measuring of both learning acquisition rates and retention through short term and long-term memory trials.
Although the radial-arm maze and Morris water maze are reliable ways to test memory in rodents, they present complications for some researchers. Both mazes use deprivation or strong aversive stimuli as reinforcement1. The radial arm maze uses food deprivation to ensure that rodents are properly motivated to find a food reward. In the Morris water maze, the effects of stress induced by a forced swim may alter results in the mice2.
The Barnes maze is an alternative spatial awareness task that requires rodents to learn the position of a hole in order to escape the bright, open maze surface3. Weak aversive stimulation (light or sound) is then applied to increase the likelihood that mice will escape from the platform. The Barnes maze does not require food deprivation, so the amount of animal preparation is less than in the radial arm maze. It can be used without conflict by researchers who are investigating behaviors or molecules associated with eating, hormonal regulation, or hypothalamic pathways.
The Barnes maze also has advantages over the Morris water maze. It is less stressful than the Morris water maze, causing less elevated levels of corticosterone in mice4. In addition, it is much simpler to assemble and requires less dedicated space during the testing procedure and storage.
The Damsel-in-Distress assay is a simple two-part experiment that can assess locomotor activity followed by prosocial behavior. The Damsel-in-Distress assay is designed to assess exploratory behaviors and social responsiveness of a male rodent in response to an entrapped female rodent. A commonly used method to assess sociability (as well as preference for social novelty) is the use of Crawley&#39;s three-chamber sociability test, which assesses the free choice of a mouse to spend time near or away from other mice5.
Similar to Crawley&#39;s three-chamber sociability test, the Damsel-in-Distress assay also measures free choice regarding how to spend time in the presence of another mouse, but it also provides measurements for deeper aspects of social functioning: 1) In the Damsel-in-Distress assay, the trapped female mouse is held in the center of an open field, so the male&#39;s potential aversion to an open field is pitted against his drive to socially explore or investigate a distressed female conspecific. 2) The Damsel-in-Distress model also provides a way to assess prosocial and empathetic behavior in response to the trapped mouse, which has not been frequently explored in mice.
Animal empathy is definitely observable and measurable, though not many paradigms exist for this purpose. For example, in rats, a trapped cage mate can induce a state of prosocial motivation, where rats will work to free the trapped animal. In fact, rats will choose to help the trapped animal even before opening a similar container containing a chocolate snack, then access the chocolate and share it with the newly freed rat6.
Measures of empathy in mice typically involve the infliction of pain; indeed, mice who watch other mice in pain are more sensitive to pain themselves7,8. Restraint stress is a characterized phenomenon in rodents and has been coupled with shock to examine stress responses, as one measure of empathy in mice9,10.
There are ethical considerations associated with induced pain or shock, so stress-inducing alternatives are needed. We developed the Damsel-in-Distress paradigm as a measure of empathetic behavior in the absence of either pain or shock treatment. The trapped mice in our Damsel-in-Distress protocol show overt signs of distress after only several moments as they are unable to turn around within the small container, yet they are unharmed while providing an opportunity for other mice to respond to their distress.
To begin the Damsel-in-Distress assessment, a male mouse is placed in a large novel arena containing a small empty central cylinder. Exploratory behaviors are recorded for several minutes, including how many sections of the arena are crossed and how much time is spent in the central open area. This method provides a quick and easy way to rule out locomotor deficits as a potential confounder in a learning situation that requires coordinated movement for successful completion. It also provides a basic measure of how much aversion to the open center field is present. Both measures could influence Barnes maze performance.
Following the initial exploration, the male is removed from the arena and a female mouse is placed in an enclosed, small clear central cylinder (similar to that used to collect blood from mice). Then, the original male mouse is reintroduced into the arena, and exploratory behavior is again scored. The Damsel-in-Distress paradigm assesses whether a mouse is interested in a social interaction based on changes in behavioral patterns when a trapped female is present (scored by time spent in the center square and the number of digging episodes), and whether the mouse exhibits prosocial behavior towards the trapped female (scored by the amount of cylinder investigations and contact events with the trapped female). The Damsel-in-Distress assay can be used to measure a propensity for social novelty (similar to Crawley&#39;s three-chamber sociability test) depending on whether researchers trap a familiar or novel mouse.
Together, the Barnes maze and Damsel-in-Distress experiments allow the accurate evaluation of mouse learning capabilities and social responsiveness in the absence of extremely stressful stimuli. As with all behavioral assays, these experiments should be performed with great sensitivity towards the animal experience, minimizing the discomfort experienced by the animal.
Like most mazes, differences in locomotor activity may influence performance on the Barnes maze, so researchers should also assess locomotor activity, especially when using the Barnes maze to assess learning in mice with mutations that may impair movement (such as those found in Huntington&#39;s disease mouse models, or those exposed to toxins that may induce hyperactivity or retard movement, such as ethanol). In addition, maze and chamber surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned and bedding changed between each animal to avoid scent cue confounds.
Importantly, all materials can be fabricated on site with minimal financial investment&#160;and the small physical footprint of these assays means that these experiments can be replicated in almost any setting, allowing for great flexibility. This type of accessibility allows good science to be performed at smaller institutions with limited resources or in situations where pilot data needs to be collected quickly in the absence of substantial support.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:1391px;" width="1389">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:216px;">Damsel-in-Distress</td>
			<td style="width:127px;"></td>
			<td style="width:317px;"></td>
			<td style="width:731px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">50 mL conical tube</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">14-432-22</td>
			<td>Any brand of 50 mL conical tube will work</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Rubber bands</td>
			<td>Sprano Brand</td>
			<td>n/a</td>
			<td>Size 62, used to keep caps held to plywood</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">hammer</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">Grainger</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">6R252</td>
			<td>Any standard hammer will work</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:216px;">nail (size 8D)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">Grainger</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">4NFE3</td>
			<td>Similarly-sized nails should work just as well</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">opaque, topless plastic box</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">AcmePlastics</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">CUT-TO-SIZE-ACRYLIC-CAST-BLACK-SHEET-2025</td>
			<td>Opaque plastic, cut to size (30 cm L x 19 cm W x 3-6 cm H). Step may be added to ensure no more than a 3.5 cm entrance depth for the mouse.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">video camera (smartphone)</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">N/A</td>
			<td>Any camera-equipped smartphone will work</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">bite-resistant gloves</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">Kent Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">GLVDYN02</td>
			<td>Any brand offering appropriate protection</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">transparency sheet</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">Staples</td>
			<td style="width:317px;">954145</td>
			<td>Any brand of clear plastic sheet will work, used for scoring&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Barnes Maze</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Petri Dishes</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>353025</td>
			<td>Spray painted and used as covers for Barnes maze holes</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Plywood (3/4 in.)</td>
			<td>LP Building Products</td>
			<td>22487</td>
			<td>To contruct Barnes maze</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Spray Paint</td>
			<td>Krylon</td>
			<td>1274937</td>
			<td>Used to paint petri dish caps black, white paint used to paint plywood</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Cup Hooks (5/8 in.)</td>
			<td>Ace Hardware</td>
			<td>5360615</td>
			<td>2 used on either side of ventral hole surfaces; rubberband wraps around hooks to hold cap flat</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Poster Board</td>
			<td>Creatology</td>
			<td>n/a</td>
			<td>Used at edges of maze as extra cues</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Light Bulbs</td>
			<td>Phillips</td>
			<td>n/a</td>
			<td>100W light bulb, used to during the trials</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Rubber bands</td>
			<td>Sprano Brand</td>
			<td>n/a</td>
			<td>Size 62, used to keep caps held to plywood</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Ultrasonic noisemaker</td>
			<td style="width:127px;">Victor mini PestChaser</td>
			<td>M753SN</td>
			<td>Used as aversive stimuli</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

analyzing spatial learning and prosocial behavior in mice using the barnes maze and damsel-in-distress paradigms

The Barnes maze is a reliable measure of spatial learning and memory that does not require food restriction or exposure to extremely stressful stimuli. The Barnes maze can also assess other mouse behaviors, such as general motivation to escape from the maze platform and exploratory behavior. The Barnes maze can measure whether a genetic mutation or environmental variable can impact the acquisition and retention of spatial memories, as well as provide information about the search strategy employed by the mice. Here we use the Barnes maze to detect a memory deficit in adult mice following a single developmental ethanol exposure event. The newly described Damsel-in-Distress paradigm exposes a male mouse to a female mouse trapped in a chamber in the open center field of the arena. It provides an opportunity for the mouse to socially respond to the trapped female and exhibit prosocial behavior. The Damsel-in-Distress paradigm can also be used to examine mouse behavior in a novel arena and measure locomotor activity. Both the Barnes Maze and the Damsel-in-Distress protocols require minimal financial investment and most aspects of the tests can be constructed from common lab supplies. These flexible and accessible tools can also be used to detect behavioral changes over the course of development.

The Barnes Maze
To illustrate how the Barnes maze can be used, we investigated whether a single early ethanol exposure caused a difference in learning over the course of mouse development. C57Bl6/J mice were either injected with a 2.5 g/kg ethanol solution (n = 8) or with saline (n = 6) twice, two hours apart, at postnatal day 6. We trained the animals on the Barnes maze during adolescence (P30), then p...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Analyzing Spatial Learning and Prosocial Behavior in Mice Using the Barnes Maze and Damsel-in-Distress Paradigms at JoVE.com

Analyzing Spatial Learning and Prosocial Behavior in Mice Using the Barnes Maze and Damsel-in-Distress Paradigms

This protocol measures spatial learning and memory using the Barnes maze. A novel Damsel-in-Distress paradigm is used to assess locomotor activity and prosocial behavior in mice.

The Barnes maze is a reliable measure of spatial learning and memory that does not require food restriction or exposure to extremely stressful stimuli. ...

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