Characterization of spatial performance in male and female Long-Evans rats by means of the Morris water task and the ziggurat task

Abstract

Sex differences are prominent influences on spatial performance. One of the most common tasks to assess sex differences in spatial navigation in rodents is the Morris water task (MWT). In this task rats swim in a pool of water to locate a hidden platform employing the topographical relationships among the distal visual cues, pool wall, and goal location. Some evidence suggests that male rats display superior performance relative to females in the MWT. It is unknown, however, to what extent the sex difference in rats is task-dependent. This study compared the performance of male and female Long-Evans rats in the wet-land MWT versus the dry-land ziggurat task (ZT). The ZT represents a new dry-land task in which rats explore an arena with 16 ziggurat pyramids to locate food rewards. Several behavioural parameters, including latency, path length, path speed, probe trial performance, errors, and the number of returns were used as indices of spatial learning and memory. While males and females did not display significant differences in the traditional measures of spatial navigation within MWT, they displayed a robust sex difference in all measures of the ZT. These results indicate task-specific sex differences in spatial performance. Our findings suggest that males and females may employ different learning strategies in the MWT and ZT and that the latter task provides a more favourable task for assessing sex differences in rats.