Effect of food deprivation on a delayed nonmatch-to-place T-maze task

Abstract

Motivation can affect performance on difficult cognitive task, such as the delayed nonmatch-to-place T-maze task. The importance of food deprivation on maintaining high motivation for delayed nonmatch-to-place T-maze task has been emphasized, but not many studies have investigated the optimal conditions for depriving rodents to maximize performance. Establishing appropriate conditions for food deprivation is necessary to maintain motivation required for the delayed nonmatch-to-place T-maze task. We applied different conditions of food deprivation (1-h food restriction vs. 1.5-g food restriction

single caging vs. group caging) and measured body weight and the number of correct choices that 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice made during the delayed nonmatch-to-place T-maze task. The 1.5-g food restriction group maintained 76.0 ± 0.6 % of their initial body weight, but the final body weight of the 1-h food restriction condition group was reduced to 62.2 ± 0.8 % of their initial body weight. These results propose that 1.5-g food restriction condition is effective condition for maintaining both body weight and motivation to complete the delayed nonmatch-to-place T-maze task.