Rats' Orientation Is More Important Than Start Point Location for Successful Place Learning

Rats were trained to locate food on a plus maze that was moved between 2 locations. The food was in a fixed location relative to room cues but the maze, and the animals' start point, were either translated (shifted to the left or right) or rotated (by 90 degrees or 45 degrees) across trials. Rats started from the same or different places solved the problem if they headed in a direction different from the start point. Rats started from different places were impaired if they headed in the same direction, suggesting that orientation is more important than start point for successful performance. The same pattern of results was obtained when rats were trained inside a curtained enclosure, suggesting that orientation is not derived solely from a view of distal visual cues while on the maze. It appears that rats use their heading. or direction of movement, to guide their responses, at a choice point.