Sex differences in exploratory behavior of rats successfully performing the object-in-place recognition memory test

Abstract

Male and female rodents display unique search strategies when exploring new and familiar environments. Sex differences are well-documented in the literature and may be observed in tasks that rely on spontaneous exploration (e.g., recognition memory tests). Therefore, we assessed patterns of male and female rat behavior in the object-in-place (OiP) test, a common recognition memory paradigm involving object-location associations. Twelve male and 12 female adult Long Evans rats were tested four times in the 1-h OiP test and exploratory behaviors were compared during habituation, sample, and test phases. Results revealed that females moved faster and farther than males, showed increased immobility frequency and reduced immobility duration, reduced outer zone mobility duration, and increased inner zone entrances, compared to males during habituations. During sample phases, female rats moved faster than males, displayed reduced immobility frequency in the inner zone, and demonstrated consistent distance travelled across repeated sessions; conversely, male rats moved less in later sessions and exhibited increased mobility frequency in the outer zone. Analyses comparing test phase behavior revealed females continued to move faster than males; however, no other sex differences were observed. These findings are consistent with previous literature highlighting unique sex differences in explorative behaviors during recognition testing. Sex differences in locomotion and mobility state behaviors may be more indicative of individual motivation and search strategy between the sexes and less indicative of recognition memory.