Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We used three sound pressure levels (30 dB, 40 dB, and 50 dB) to perform the acoustic-cued water maze test to determine a suitable sound pressure level for the test. RESULTS: The sound pressure levels at 40 dB and 50 dB were both effective in terms of the escape latency, the first crossing, the crossing number, and the quadrant time; there were no statistically significant differences in these parameters between the two. On the other hand, the sound pressure of 30 dB was not as effective as that of 40 dB or 50 dB ---- while the statistically significant improvements in the escape latency across the four training days appeared on day 3 and continued to occur on day 4 in both the 40 dB and 50 dB groups, there were no statistically significant improvements in the escape latency in the 30 dB group. Moreover, the probe trial parameters were also somewhat better in the 40 dB and 50 dB groups than in the 30 dB group. Therefore, we consider sound pressure levels of 40 dB and 50 dB to be more suitable for acoustic-cued water maze tests.