The significance of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in long-term reference memory was tested in the Morris water maze (MWM) in 4-month-old C57BL/6J IL-6-deficient (IL-6 KO) and control mice. Three-day learning measured by escape latency time to find the hidden platform was comparable in both genotypes. In a single probe trial performed 7 days later, without the platform, latency to the platform site and path length to the target place were significantly shorter (p < 0.05 and p < 0.02, respectively), and platform-site crossovers more frequent (p < 0.05) in IL-6 KO mice. The swimming speed in IL-6 KO mice was significantly lower during learning (p = 0.0025) but not in the probe trial. Lack of differences between genotypes in a hole-board and in an elevated plus maze indicates that the observed effects were memory specific. The facilitatory effect of IL-6 deficiency on long-term reference memory in MWM indicates that IL-6 plays a role in consolidation process.
Keywords: Elevated plus maze; Hole-board; IL-6; Mice; Morris water maze.