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Rapid Learning of Magnetic Compass Direction by C57BL/6 Mice in a 4-Armed 'Plus' Water Maze

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dc.contributor.authorPhillips, John B.en
dc.contributor.authorYoumans, Paul W.en
dc.contributor.authorMuheim, Rachelen
dc.contributor.authorSloan, Kelly A.en
dc.contributor.authorLandler, Lukasen
dc.contributor.authorPainter, Michael Scotten
dc.contributor.authorAnderson, Christopher R.en
dc.contributor.departmentBiological Sciencesen
dc.date.accessioned2017-02-09T17:01:19Zen
dc.date.available2017-02-09T17:01:19Zen
dc.date.issued2013-08-30en
dc.description.abstractMagnetoreception has been demonstrated in all five vertebrate classes. In rodents, nest building experiments have shown the use of magnetic cues by two families of molerats, Siberian hamsters and C57BL/6 mice. However, assays widely used to study rodent spatial cognition (e.g. water maze, radial arm maze) have failed to provide evidence for the use of magnetic cues. Here we show that C57BL/6 mice can learn the magnetic direction of a submerged platform in a 4-armed (plus) water maze. Naïve mice were given two brief training trials. In each trial, a mouse was confined to one arm of the maze with the submerged platform at the outer end in a predetermined alignment relative to magnetic north. Between trials, the training arm and magnetic field were rotated by 180° so that the mouse had to swim in the same magnetic direction to reach the submerged platform. The directional preference of each mouse was tested once in one of four magnetic field alignments by releasing it at the center of the maze with access to all four arms. Equal numbers of responses were obtained from mice tested in the four symmetrical magnetic field alignments. Findings show that two training trials are sufficient for mice to learn the magnetic direction of the submerged platform in a plus water maze. The success of these experiments may be explained by: (1) absence of alternative directional cues (2), rotation of magnetic field alignment, and (3) electromagnetic shielding to minimize radio frequency interference that has been shown to interfere with magnetic compass orientation of birds. These findings confirm that mice have a well-developed magnetic compass, and give further impetus to the question of whether epigeic rodents (e.g., mice and rats) have a photoreceptor-based magnetic compass similar to that found in amphibians and migratory birds.en
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.extent11 pagesen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0073112en
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203en
dc.identifier.issue8en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/74978en
dc.identifier.volume8en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherPLOSen
dc.relation.urihttp://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000323880200069&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=930d57c9ac61a043676db62af60056c1en
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectradical-pair mechanismen
dc.subjectnewt notophthalmus-viridescensen
dc.subjecthead directionen
dc.subjecteuropean robinsen
dc.subjectsubterranean rodenten
dc.subjectanimal navigationen
dc.subjectgeomagnetic-fielden
dc.subjectpath-integrationen
dc.subjectmigratory birdsen
dc.subjectplace cellsen
dc.titleRapid Learning of Magnetic Compass Direction by C57BL/6 Mice in a 4-Armed 'Plus' Water Mazeen
dc.title.serialPLOS ONEen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Techen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/All T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Scienceen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Science/Biological Sciencesen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Science/COS T&R Facultyen

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