3.2.7. Discriminated Avoidance Test

Performance during acquisition and reversal is presented in Figure 5. During acquisition, most treatments improved performance (main effect of treatment; *p* = 0.005). Sed-Aox (*p* = 0.035) and Ex-Con (*p* = 0.052) groups took fewer trials to reach criterion in the GFAP-ApoE3 males and there was no significant effect in the GFAP-ApoE4 mice. In females, Ex-Con (*p* = 0.058) and Ex-Aox (*p* = 0.019) performed better than the Sed-Con group in the GFAP-ApoE3 group, while only Ex-Aox (*p* = 0.018) took fewer trials than the controls in the GFAP-ApoE4 group.

During reversal, treatments improved performance (main effect of treatment; *p* = 0.007), mainly in the GFAP-ApoE3 mice, but this observation was not supported by an interaction between strain and treatment (*p* = 0.23). There was no significant effect of any of the treatments in the GFAP-ApoE4 mice. In the GFAP-ApoE3 group, all treated mice took fewer trials compared to Sed-Con in females and Ex-Aox was the only significantly different group in males (*p* = 0.029).

**Figure 5.** Exercise and antioxidants improved learning and cognitive flexibility in male and female GFAP-ApoE3 mice but not in GFAP-ApoE4 mice. Each value represents mean ± SEM, *n* = 8–16. \* *p* < 0.05 vs. sex- and strain-matched Sed-Con groups; † *p* < 0.05 comparing strain-matched Sed-Con males and females.
