ArticleLearning & behavior2024
Are there sex differences in spatial reference memory in the Morris water maze? A large-sample experimental study.
Article in Learning & behavior, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed.
- Subcellular Localization of Dopamine D1 and D2 Receptors in the Mouse Hippocampus.The Journal of comparative neurology · 2026Article
- The Toll-like receptor 1/2 ligand Pam3Cys inhibits memory impairment after traumatic brain injury in male and female rats.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Aging effects on emotionality, cognition and brain mononuclear cells in Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes.npj aging · 2026Article
- Preference for directional responding in a virtual Morris water task is associated with increased precuneus activation in adolescent humans.Behavioural brain research · 2026Article
- Spatial pattern separation deficits in early Alzheimer's disease are comparable in humans and animal models.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Older Rats Switch Between Distinctly Different Behavior Strategies to Solve the Spatial Version of the Morris Watermaze.Hippocampus · 2026Article
- Exercise promotes cognition and hippocampal mitochondrial complex II expression in female rats.Experimental physiology · 2025Article
- Copper loading may affect rat neurobehaviour by impairing mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes in hippocampal neurons.Behavioral and brain functions : BBF · 2025Article
- A Systematic Review of Preclinical Studies Investigating the Effects of Pharmacological Agents on Learning and Memory in Prolonged Aluminum-Exposure-Induced Neurotoxicity.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Perineuronal Nets on CA2 Pyramidal Cells and Parvalbumin-Expressing Cells Differentially Regulate Hippocampal-Dependent Memory.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2025Article
- Assessing the impact of sex and circadian rhythms on rodent behavior: refining preclinical study designs.Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2025Article
- Hippocampal Lesions in Male Rats Produce Retrograde Memory Loss for Over-Trained Spatial Memory but Do Not Impact Appetitive-Contextual Memory: Implications for Theories of Memory Organization in the Mammalian Brain.Journal of neuroscience research · 2025Article
- Perineuronal nets on CA2 pyramidal cells and parvalbumin-expressing cells differentially regulate hippocampal dependent memory.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Enhanced Novel Object Recognition and Spatial Memory in Rats Selectively Bred for High Nicotine Preference.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Cognitive comorbidities in the rat pilocarpine model of epilepsy.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
- Failure of senolytic treatment to prevent cognitive decline in a female rodent model of aging.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2024Article
- Effects of Dietary Methionine Restriction on Cognition in Mice.Nutrients · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Sex differences have been found in allocentric spatial learning and memory tasks, with the literature indicating that males outperform females, although this issue is still controversial. This study aimed to explore the behavior of male and female rats during the habituation and learning of a spatial memory task performed in the Morris Water Maze (MWM). The study included a large sample of 89 males and 85 females. We found that females searched slightly faster than males during habituation with a visible platform. During learning, both male and female rats decreased the latency and distance traveled to find the hidden platform over the days, with males outperforming females in the distance traveled. Females swam faster but did not find the platform earlier, suggesting a less directed navigational strategy. Both sexes increased time spent in the target zone over the days, with no sex differences. Although females swam more in the periphery during the first days of the task, both sexes decreased the time spent in this area. Finally, only males increased swimming in the pool's center over the days, spending more time than females in this area across the entire training. In conclusion, we need to register several variables in the MWM and analyze path strategies to obtain more robust results concerning sex differences. Research on spatial learning should include both sexes to achieve a more equitable, representative, and translational science.
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