T-maze and Y-maze alternation, radial arm maze arm tracking, Morris water maze navigation, and Barnes maze spatial search. ConductMaze controls guillotine doors, arm access, platform placement, and records entry patterns for working and reference memory assessment.
The Morris water maze (MWM) is the most widely cited behavioral test for hippocampal-dependent spatial learning and memory in rodents.
8 parametersThe radial arm maze (RAM) is an eight-arm apparatus used to assess both working memory and reference memory in a single testing session.
7 parametersThe Barnes maze is a dry-land spatial navigation task that assesses hippocampal-dependent spatial learning and memory without the stress of forced swimming.
7 parametersThe T-maze spontaneous alternation task exploits the innate tendency of rodents to explore novel environments by measuring their propensity to alternate arm choices across successive trials.
7 parametersThe Y-maze spontaneous alternation test measures spatial working memory by exploiting the natural exploratory drive of rodents to visit novel arms in a three-armed maze with 120-degree angles between each arm.
6 parametersThe Y-maze forced alternation test is a two-trial procedure that evaluates spatial working memory by constraining the animal to a single arm during a sample phase and then allowing free choice after a defined inter-trial interval.
8 parametersThe Y-maze novel arm recognition test is a two-phase spatial memory paradigm that exploits the innate preference of rodents for exploring previously inaccessible environments.
8 parametersThe Y-maze continuous alternation protocol extends the standard spontaneous alternation test to 15-20 minutes of uninterrupted free exploration, enabling researchers to track the temporal dynamics of alternation behavior as the session progresses.
8 parametersThe T-maze forced alternation task is a discrete-trial procedure that assesses spatial working memory by first directing the animal into one arm (sample run) and then presenting a free choice between the previously visited and the alternative arm (choice run).
8 parametersThe T-maze delayed alternation task introduces a variable delay between the sample and choice runs of a forced alternation procedure, enabling researchers to probe the temporal limits of spatial working memory.
8 parametersThe T-maze rewarded alternation task combines spatial working memory demands with appetitive motivation by placing food rewards in the goal arms according to an alternation rule.
9 parametersThe delayed non-matching to place (DNMTP) task in the T-maze is widely considered the gold-standard hippocampal-dependent working memory test for rodents.
10 parametersThe Morris water maze visible platform (cued) task serves as an essential sensorimotor and motivational control procedure that accompanies spatial learning experiments in the hidden-platform version of the water maze.
9 parametersThe Morris water maze probe trial is the definitive test of spatial reference memory, conducted after the animal has learned to locate a hidden escape platform over multiple acquisition days.
7 parametersThe Morris water maze reversal learning protocol tests cognitive flexibility by relocating the hidden escape platform to a new position—typically the quadrant diagonally opposite—after the animal has acquired the original platform location.
9 parametersThe Morris water maze working memory protocol, also known as the delayed matching-to-place (DMP) task, tests rapid one-trial spatial learning by relocating the hidden platform to a new position each day.
9 parametersThe Barnes maze probe trial assesses the precision and strength of spatial reference memory after the animal has learned the location of the escape hole over multiple acquisition sessions on an elevated circular platform with 20 equally spaced holes around the perimeter.
8 parametersThe Barnes maze reversal learning protocol assesses cognitive flexibility by relocating the target escape hole 180 degrees to the opposite side of the platform after the animal has acquired the original escape location.
9 parametersThe radial arm maze (RAM) working memory task evaluates spatial working memory by baiting all arms of an 8-arm radial maze and measuring the animal's ability to visit each arm only once to collect all rewards without re-entering previously visited arms.
9 parametersThe radial arm maze reference memory task simultaneously assesses both working memory and long-term reference memory by baiting a fixed subset of arms (typically 4 of 8) consistently across all sessions while leaving the remaining arms permanently unbaited.
10 parametersThe zebrafish T-maze learning task assesses spatial and associative learning by training fish to navigate a T-shaped aquatic maze to locate a reward (food, social conspecifics, or a preferred environment) in one arm based on visual, chromatic, or spatial cues.
10 parametersThe Atlantis platform is an ingenious modification of the Morris water maze designed to test the precision of spatial memory rather than mere quadrant-level recall.
9 parametersThe zebrafish Y-maze is an automated three-arm aquatic maze used to assess spatial working memory, exploratory behavior, and turn preference in adult zebrafish through spontaneous alternation and forced-choice alternation paradigms.
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