PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Cleal, Madeleine
AU  - Fontana, Barbara D
AU  - Ranson, Daniel C
AU  - McBride, Sebastian D
AU  - Swinny, Jerome D
AU  - Redhead, Edward S
AU  - Parker, Matthew O
TI  - A Test of Memory: The Fish, The Mouse, The Fly And The Human
AID  - 10.1101/2020.02.15.950816
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2020.02.15.950816
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/02/16/2020.02.15.950816.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/02/16/2020.02.15.950816.full
AB  - Simple mazes have provided numerous tasks for assessing working memory. The discrete nature of choices in the T-maze has provided a robust protocol with sensitivity to cognitive deficits, whilst the continuous Y-maze reduces manual handling and pre-trial training. We have combined these attributes to develop a new behavioural task for assessing working memory, the Free-movement pattern (FMP) Y-maze. Using sequentially recorded left and right turns we demonstrate that zebrafish and mice use a single dominant strategy predominantly consisting of alternations between left and right choices trial-to-trial. We further tested this protocol with Drosophila and discovered an alternative invertebrate search strategy. Finally, a virtual human FMP Y-maze confirmed a common strategy among all tested vertebrate species, validating the translational power of the task for human research. The FMP Y-maze combines robust investigation of working memory and high translational power, generating a simple task with far-reaching impact.