File:Spatial working memory and spatial learning in male and female mice in the F2 generation.png

English: "Paternal lineage did not produce significant effects on spontaneous alternations in the Y-maze (A). During acquisition of learning in the Barnes maze, neither the primary errors (Male: B; Female: C) not primary latency (Male: D; Female: E) showed significant effects of lineage, but the effects of sessions were significant (Mixed model ANOVA, p < 0.0001). The reversal learning sessions (Male: B′,D′; Female: C′,E′) did not show significant effects of lineage but showed significant effects of session. Male (F,G) and female (H,I) mice from both the lineages transitioned from random or serial strategies to predominantly spatial strategy during acquisition of learning and reversal learning. Male mice in the aspartame lineage (G) lagged the male mice in the control lineage (F) in the transition during the acquisition of learning phase (Chi-square; p < 0.01). Time spent in the target quadrant during the probe trial (J) did not show significant effects of lineage. Similarly, the reversal effect based on a comparison of the primary error (K) or primary latency (L) between acquisition of learning session #10 and reversal learning session #1 did not show significant effects of drinking water treatment."

"Transgenerational heritability of the behavioral effects: F2 generation

The F1 male mice from 0.03% aspartame lineage and plain drinking water lineages were bred with females purchased from the vendor and maintained on plain drinking water to produce the F2 generation. Since the behavioral effects in the F1 mice derived from the 0.015 and 0.03% aspartame groups were comparable, we produced the F2 generation from mice in the 0.03% aspartame lineage only. A lack of behavioral changes in the F2 generation produced from the 0.015% aspartame F1 male lineage would have necessitated testing the F2 mice from the 0.03% F1 lineage, before ruling out transgenerational transmission. Therefore, analyzing F2 mice from the 0.03% F1 lineage first was the conservative approach."