Anxiety
Elevated plus maze, zero maze, open field, light/dark box, marble burying, and approach-avoidance conflict paradigms. ConductMaze automates compartment illumination, door control, zone tracking, and records transitions with precise timing.
Elevated Plus Maze
The elevated plus maze (EPM) is the most widely used test for anxiety-like behavior in rodents, exploiting the natural conflict between the drive to explore novel environments and the aversion to open, elevated spaces.
6 parametersOpen Field Test
The open field test (OFT) is a foundational behavioral assay that simultaneously measures locomotor activity, exploratory behavior, and anxiety-like behavior in rodents.
6 parametersLight-Dark Box Test
The light-dark box (also called the light-dark transition test) exploits the natural conflict between rodent exploratory drive and innate aversion to brightly illuminated open spaces.
7 parametersApproach-Avoidance Conflict Test
The approach-avoidance conflict test (also known as the Vogel conflict test or punished responding paradigm) measures anxiety by placing an appetitive motivation (water or food reward) in direct conflict with an aversive consequence (typically mild footshock).
7 parametersElevated Zero Maze
The elevated zero maze (EZM) is a continuous circular runway (typically 60 cm outer diameter for mice, 100-105 cm for rats) elevated 40-70 cm above the floor and divided into four equal quadrants: two open (no walls) and two enclosed (with 25-30 cm opaque walls).
9 parametersOpen Field Thigmotaxis Analysis
Thigmotaxis, the tendency to remain close to walls, is one of the most robust and spontaneous behavioral indicators of anxiety in rodents placed in an open field arena.
9 parametersOpen Field Locomotor Habituation
The open field locomotor habituation protocol measures the day-over-day decline in exploratory activity when rodents are repeatedly exposed to the same arena across multiple sessions (typically 3-5 consecutive days).
8 parametersMarble Burying Test
The marble burying test measures repetitive, compulsive-like digging behavior by presenting rodents with a standardized grid of 20 glass marbles (typically arranged 5 x 4, evenly spaced) placed on 5 cm of clean bedding material in a standard polycarbonate cage.
9 parametersDefensive Burying (Shock Probe)
The defensive burying test, also called the shock-probe burying test, measures an active coping response to a localized threat.
9 parametersZebrafish Novel Tank Diving Test
The novel tank diving test exploits the innate geotactic response of zebrafish (Danio rerio) when introduced to an unfamiliar environment.
10 parametersZebrafish Light-Dark Preference (Scototaxis)
The light-dark preference test, or scototaxis assay, exploits the natural preference of adult zebrafish for dark environments to quantify anxiety-like behavior.
9 parametersReady to Automate Your Anxiety Protocols?
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