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Adult neurogenesis promotes efficient, nonspecific search strategies in a spatial alternation water maze task

Goal-directed navigation requires learning strategies that are efficient and minimize costs. In some cases it may be desirable to flexibly adjust behavioral responses depending on the cues that vary from one episode to the next. In others, successful navigation might be achieved with inflexible, habit-like responses that reduce cognitive load. Adult neurogenesis is believed to contribute to the spatial processing functions of the hippocampus, particularly when behavioral flexibility is required. However, little is known about the role of neurogenesis in spatial navigation when goals are unpredictable or change according to certain rules. We hypothesized that neurogenesis is necessary in a spatial navigation task that involves different patterns of reinforcement. Intact and neurogenesis-deficient rats were trained to escape to one of two possible platform locations in a spatial water maze. The platform either repeated in the same location for all trials in a day, alternated between two locations across trials, or randomly moved between the two locations. Neurogenesis selectively enhanced escape performance in the alternating condition, but not by improving platform choice accuracy. Instead, neurogenesis-intact rats made fewer search errors and developed an efficient habit-like strategy where they consistently swam to a preferred location. If the platform was not present, they proceeded to the other possible location. In contrast, neurogenesis-deficient rats were indecisive and navigationally less-efficient. Thus, in conditions where goals follow a predictable spatiotemporal pattern, adult neurogenesis promotes the adoption of navigation strategies that are spatially nonspecific but, nonetheless, accurate and efficient.