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Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are well known for worsening motor coordination symptoms caused by the degeneration of the cerebellum. Yet, increasing reports indicate that broader changes are occurring in the brains of some SCA patients. This includes changes in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for learning and memory. One way to test learning and memory in mice is the Morris Water Maze Test. Researchers use this test on SCA mouse models to investigate how and when learning and memory symptoms arise. More importantly, we can also use this test to evaluate the effect of potential treatments on learning and memory.

The Morris Water Maze consists of a large circular pool of opaque water. A platform is placed in the pool just under the surface of the water so that the mouse won’t be able to see it. Though mice are good swimmers, they don’t particularly enjoy swimming. Mice will always attempt to find the platform as quickly as possible. Shapes on the walls around the pool help the mice orient themselves within the pool (first panel in the figure below).

The first time a mouse swims in the pool (second panel in the figure), the mouse tends to swim aimlessly around until they eventually find the hidden platform. Each subsequent time the mouse swims in the pool, the mouse will get better and better. Using the shapes on the wall to help identify where they are in the pool, the mouse will eventually learn and memorize the platform’s location.

As that happens, they will be better and better at the task. Eventually, the mice will swim immediately to the platform when placed in the pool (third panel in the figure). Researchers can measure this improvement by measuring how much time it takes the mouse to reach the platform and the length of its path to the platform. Additionally, to assess the strength of the memory, researchers can take out the platform from the pool in what is called a “probe trial”. Mice that spend more time in the area where the platform used to be are considered to have built the strongest memories of that location.

As is the case for some SCA mouse models, mice with impaired learning and memory have more difficulty learning and remembering the correct location of the platform. As a result, they spend a longer time searching for and swim longer distances to the platform. Overall, they display a poorer improvement over time. By using the Morris Water Maze Test on SCA models that receive different treatments, scientists can then further test which therapy could improve their learning and memory symptoms. Therefore, the Morris Water Maze Test may help identify new therapeutic strategies to treat learning and memory problems in patients.

If you would like to learn more about the Morris Water Maze, take a look at these resources by the Scholarpedia and JOVE.

Snapshot written by Carrie Sheeler and edited by Dr. Larissa Nitschke.

When you think of a balance beam, you might think of gymnastics. For humans, a balance beam is a surface where we perform jumps, flips, and other athletic feats. Whether it’s a child taking their first class, or an Olympic athlete going for gold, the balance beam requires both balance and coordination. When a scientist puts a mouse through the balance beam test, they don’t ask them to do this kind of complicated routine, but they are testing those same abilities.

The equipment setup for the balance beam test is simple: two platforms with a beam running between them plus lots of padding underneath so the mouse doesn’t get hurt if it falls off. Over multiple days, the scientist will train the mouse to run across the beam from one platform to another. Once the mouse has been trained, it will go through multiple official test runs. In these tests, the scientist will measure the time it takes for the mouse to cross the beam. They will also count the number of times one of its paws slips off the beam during the crossing. You can see some videos of mice doing the test here.

Mice that have problems with balance and coordination usually take longer to cross the balance beam and have more paw slips during the crossing. The mice might take longer to cross because they are clinging to the beam to try to stay on. Their paws might slip more because they cannot coordinate their movements properly. The scientist can also compare the measurements from the first day of training with the measures taken during the official runs. This shows how well the mouse learned to stay on the beam. This is useful because learning how to do a task and performing the task are two different things. Some parts of the brain are more important for learning, while others are more important for doing the task. Thus, telling those two aspects apart can be useful.

A typical balance beam setup, with two platforms and a beam between them. Image by Amy Smith-Dijak.

The balance beam test has been used to understand balance and coordination in both healthy mice and mouse models of disease. In healthy mice, scientists studying the basic biology of balance and coordination use this assay to test if changing the way particular parts of the brain work changes the mouse’s performance. For diseases in which lack of balance and coordination are major features, such as spinocerebellar ataxias, this test is a simple way to check how fast the disease progresses in mouse models. The assay can further be used to test possible treatments for these diseases: better scores after the treatment indicate that the therapy helped the mice improve their balance and coordination.

To sum it up, the balance beam test is a simple and effective assay to measure a mouse’s balance and coordination. Its use helps scientists to understand the basic biology of balance and coordination, as well as uncover why they are impaired in some diseases. Using the balance beam test on mouse models of disease that underwent different treatments, scientists can further measure if the therapy would improve the mouse’s balance and coordination. Therefore, the balance beam test might even help to find new treatments for motor coordination diseases.

If you would like to learn more about the balance beam test, take a look at these resources by the Maze Engineers and Creative Biolabs.

Snapshot written by Dr. Amy Smith-Dijak and edited by Dr.Larissa Nitschke.