The Free-movement pattern Y-maze: A cross-species measure of working memory and executive function

Article


Cleal, M., Fontana, B. D., Ranson, D., McBride, S. D., Swinny, J. D., Redhead, E. S. and Parker, M. O. 2020. The Free-movement pattern Y-maze: A cross-species measure of working memory and executive function. Behavior Research Methods. 53, p. 536–557. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-020-01452-x
AuthorsCleal, M., Fontana, B. D., Ranson, D., McBride, S. D., Swinny, J. D., Redhead, E. S. and Parker, M. O.
Abstract

Numerous neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders are associated with deficits in executive functions such as working memory and cognitive flexibility. Progress in developing effective treatments for disorders may benefit from targeting these cognitive impairments, the success of which is predicated on the development of animal models with validated behavioural assays. Zebrafish offer a promising model for studying complex brain disorders, but tasks assessing executive function are lacking. The Free-movement pattern (FMP) Y-maze combines aspects of the common Y-maze assay, which exploits the inherent motivation of an organism to explore an unknown environment, with analysis based on a series of sequential two-choice discriminations. We validate the task as a measure of working memory and executive function by comparing task performance parameters in adult zebrafish treated with a range of glutamatergic, cholinergic and dopaminergic drugs known to impairworking memory and cognitive flexibility. We demonstrate the cross-species validity of the task by assessing performance parameters in adapted versions of the task for mice and Drosophila, and finally a virtual version in humans, and identify remarkable commonalities between vertebrate species’ navigation of the maze. Together, our results demonstrate that the FMP Y-maze is a sensitive assay for assessing working memory and cognitive flexibility across species from invertebrates to humans, providing a simple and widely applicable behavioural assay with exceptional translational relevance.

JournalBehavior Research Methods
Journal citation53, p. 536–557
ISSN1554-351X
Year2020
PublisherSpringer Nature
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Anyone
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-020-01452-x
Publication dates
Online03 Aug 2020
Publication process dates
Accepted07 Jul 2020
Deposited10 Aug 2020
External resourceThe Free-Movement Pattern Y-Maze: The Effective Study Of Working Memory, Exploratory Patterns And Behavioural Plasticity
Copyright holder© 2020 The Authors
Permalink -

https://repository.uel.ac.uk/item/8847w

Download files


Publisher's version
Cleal2021_Article_TheFree-movementPatternY-mazeA.pdf
License: CC BY 4.0
File access level: Anyone

  • 178
    total views
  • 127
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 1
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

G-protein αq gene expression plays a role in alcohol tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster
Aleyakpo, B., Umukoro, O., Kavlie, R., Ranson, D., Thompsett, A., Corcoran, O. and Casalotti, S. 2019. G-protein αq gene expression plays a role in alcohol tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster. Brain and Neuroscience Advances. 3. https://doi.org/10.1177/2398212819883081
Pharmacological targeting of the GABAʙ receptor alters Drosophila's behavioural responses to alcohol
Ranson, D., Ayoub, S., Corcoran, O. and Casalotti, S. 2019. Pharmacological targeting of the GABAʙ receptor alters Drosophila's behavioural responses to alcohol. Addiction Biology. 25 (Art. e12725). https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.12725
Role of GABAB receptors in ethanol induced behaviours
Ranson, D., Ayoub, S. and Casalotti, S. 2017. Role of GABAB receptors in ethanol induced behaviours. pA2 Online: Proceedings of the British Pharmacological Society. 18 (1).
Pharmacological Modulation of Alcohol Tolerance via GABA-B receptors in Drosophila melanogaster
Ranson, D., Ayoub, S., Corcoran, O. and Casalotti, S. 2018. Pharmacological Modulation of Alcohol Tolerance via GABA-B receptors in Drosophila melanogaster. 11th FENS Forum of Neuroscience. Berlin, Germany 07 - 11 Jul 2018
Role of gamma-aminobutyric acid-B receptors in ethanol induced behaviours
Ranson, D., Ayoub, S. and Casalotti, S. 2017. Role of gamma-aminobutyric acid-B receptors in ethanol induced behaviours. Society for the Study of Addiction Conference. Newcastle, UK 08 - 10 Nov 2017
The Role of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid B Receptors in Alcohol Related Behaviours in Drosophila Models of Ethanol Tolerance and Preference
Ranson, D. 2017. The Role of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid B Receptors in Alcohol Related Behaviours in Drosophila Models of Ethanol Tolerance and Preference. Masters Thesis University of East London HSB https://doi.org/10.15123/PUB.7336