Evaluation of a Visual Discrimination Task for the Analysis of the Genetics of a Mouse Behavior

Abstract

Results of three experiments evaluating a black-white discrimination learning task in a water maze are reported. It is sensitive to differences in genotype, yields an adequate range of responses, and is easy to administer. When reasonable care is taken to control maze surface irregularities, mice with normal retinas appear to utilize visual cues. Absolute level of performance, at least in some strains, is related to the specific water temperature at which the strains are tested. Whether ordering of strains by performance at different water temperatures will remain invariant is not known. Albino strains performed more poorly.