Adaptation of the Transformer Maze to Assess the Cognitive Abilities of Mice

Objective: The Transformer maze was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of spatial navigation, learning, and memory. The modular design of the maze allows to create different routes inside the maze, varying the color of the walls and the presence of passages in them. Previously, this modification of the maze was used only for training rats. In this article, we demonstrate the possibilities of a Transformer maze for studying mouse behavior. Methods: The study was conducted on 15 male mice, divided into two groups: trained and untrained one. Previously, all animals were subjected to mild food deprivation, handling and getting used to the maze space. For trained group the experiment consisted of 4 days of maze training and 1 day of testing. Unlike trained mice, which underwent both training and testing phases, untrained mice underwent only the testing phase. Results and Discussion: In the experiment, we highlighted a number of parameters that allow us to assess the efficacy of learning of mice: the length of the path traveled, the number of visits to cul-de-sac sectors, the latency of entry into the finish sector and others. Our experiments have shown that trained mice perform the task better than untrained animals. Conclusions: The experiments demonstrated the potential of using a transforming maze to study spatial memory and learning characteristics in mice. This method is of translational significance, as it could potentially be used to identify cognitive impairments in transgenic mice or when studying pharmacological models of neuropsychiatric disorders.