Publikationsdatenbank

Alternate without alternative:
neither preference nor learning explains behaviour of C57BL/6J mice in the T-maze (2021)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Habedank, Anne

Kahnau, Pia

Lewejohann, Lars (WE 11)

Quelle

Behaviour : an international journal of behavioural biology

Bandzählung: 158

Heftzählung: 7

Seiten: 625 – 662

ISSN: 1568-539x

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://brill.com/view/journals/beh/158/7/article-p625_4.xml

DOI: 10.1163/1568539X-bja10085

Kontakt

Institut für Tierschutz, Tierverhalten und Versuchstierkunde

Königsweg 67
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 61146
tierschutz@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

In rodents, the T-maze is commonly used to investigate spontaneous alternating behaviour, but it can also be used to investigate preference between goods. However, for T-maze preference tests with mice there is no recommended protocol and researchers frequently report reproduction difficulties. Here, we tried to develop an efficient protocol with female C57BL/6J CrL mice for preference tests. We used two different designs, adapting habituation, cues and trial timing. However, in both experiments mice did not show any preference, although we used goods which we knew mice find rewarding. Instead, they alternated choices indicating that exploratory behaviour overruled preference. We argue that this behavioural strategy has evolved as an adaptive trait in saturated conditions where there is no need to take the reward immediately. Therefore, we deem the T-maze unsuitable for preference testing with the procedures we used here.