Spontaneous alternation, motor activity, and spatial learning in hot-foot mutant mice

✍ Scribed by M. Filali; R. Lalonde; A. N. Bensoula; J. -M. Guastavino; F. Lestienne

• Book ID: 104656768
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 406 KB
• Volume: 178
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0340-7594
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00189594

✦ Synopsis

Hot-foot mutant mice, characterized by defective innervation of Purkinje cells and an ataxic gait, were less active than normal mice in a T-maze. In spontaneous alternation testing with either single or multiple trials, hot-foot mutants, contrary to normal mice, did not alternate above chance. Moreover, the mutants had a higher number of errors and higher escape latencies in a water-filled Z-maze. These results indicate that in addition to motor coordination deficits, these cerebellar mutants have deficits in spatial learning and perseverate choices of maze arms.