- Episodic memory
Mice and rats can remember past events, including what, where, and when they found food in a maze. They can also remember multiple events and the contexts in which they occurred.
- Spatial memory
Rats generally have better spatial memory retention than mice. For example, in a water maze test, rats have a smaller average distance from the target location. However, mice and rats perform similarly in acquisition training.
- Novel object preference
Mice and rats perform similarly in this paradigm, but rats wait significantly longer to approach objects.
- Social memory
Both mice and rats prefer social interaction and interaction with novel animals.
- Recognition memory
Mice and rats have well-established recognition memory. For example, they can perform a cognitive task similar to those used to test visual recognition memory in children and non-human primates.
- Semantic memory
Mice and rats can form and retain semantic memories, such as learning and remembering the locations of objects and the identities of other mice.
- Multigenerational memory
Learned information can become encoded in the genes as a shared, multigenerational memory in both mice and rats. If the parents of a rat had a traumatic experience with a particular trap or other item, the child rat will instinctually be averse to that trap or item.
- Long-term memory
Mice and rats can create long-term memories. For example, they can return to a maze for days after completing it.
- Scent memory
Mice and rats have a strong memory for scents, especially when it comes to the urine of potential mates. For example, females can repeatedly return to the site where they were exposed to a male’s urine, even after the scent is gone.
Mice and rats are often used in research on human physiology and psychology because they can help scientists learn how memory works. Further, rats can associate certain baits, such as peanut butter, with traps and begin to avoid traps (even types they haven’t been exposed to) when they have that same bait on them.
Neurogenesis
Adult rat brains have more young neurons than adult mouse brains, and these neurons mature faster. Rats also activate more new neurons during memory tasks.