Behavioral Assessment Instruments

Open Field

The open field test is a simple task commonly used to measure the exploratory behavior and general activity in both mice and rats, where both the quality and quantity of the activity can be monitored. Principally, the open field (OF) is generally square in shape with surrounding walls that prevent escape. The most basic and common outcome of interest is “movement”; however, this can be influenced by motor output, exploratory drive, anxiety, freezing or other fear-related behavior, sickness, relative time in circadian cycle, among many other variables.

Y-Maze

The Y-maze can be used to evaluate short-term memory in mice. Spontaneous alternation, an index of of spatial working memory, can be determined by allowing rat or mice to explore all three arms of the maze and is driven by an inherent curiosity of rodents to explore previously unvisited regions.

Barnes Maze

The Barnes maze is a tool used in laboratory experiments to assess spatial learning and memory.  It  consists of a circular table with about 18 circular holes around its circumference platform. It is based on the assumption that the animal placed into the aversive environment (open and bright open space of the table) should learn and remember the location of an escape box located below the surface of the platform.

Elevated Zero Maze

 This test is based on two conflicting rodent inherent tendencies: exploring a novel environment and avoiding elevated and open spaces. The apparatus consists of two open and two enclosed elevated arms that form a zero or circle. Time spent in exploring closed versus open arms indicates then the anxiety level of the animal.