Working Memory Errors
Re-entries into previously visited baited arms
ConductVision · Behavioral Analysis
8-Arm Radial Maze
Comprehensive working and reference memory assessment with automated arm detection.
RodentSpatial MemoryAuto Export
ConductVision / 8-Arm Radial Maze
Recording / Trial 3subject tracked
Working Memory Errors1.8
Reference Errors0.6
Completion Time185s
Key Parameters
Metrics automatically extracted by ConductVision.
Reference Memory Errors
Entries into arms that are never baited
Total Errors
Combined working and reference memory errors
Correct Choices in First 8
Unique arm visits before the first error
Completion Time
Time to collect all rewards from baited arms
Arm Entry Sequence
Visit order revealing spatial search strategy
+ 7 more parameters trackedShow allHide
Win-Shift Efficiency
Proportion of post-reward visits to novel arms
Adjacent Arm Entries
Sequential visits to neighboring arms — chaining strategy
Latency per Arm
Average time between consecutive arm entries
Perseverative Errors
Repeated returns to the same incorrect arm
Arm Revisit Distribution
Heatmap of revisit frequency across all arms
Distance Traveled
Cumulative path length across center and arms
Velocity
Mean movement speed through the maze
What is the 8-Arm Radial Maze?
The 8-Arm Radial Maze is a classic spatial memory paradigm where rodents forage for food rewards in eight radiating arms. Optimal performance requires visiting each baited arm exactly once, engaging both working memory and reference memory systems.
ConductVision automates arm entry detection using an 80% body threshold definition, managing experimental stages, trial sequencing, and automatic test termination. The dual-memory readout provides richer cognitive profiling than single-metric tasks.
Protocol Parameters
| Parameter | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Center Platform Diameter | Central hub diameter | 34 cm (rat) / 20 cm (mouse) |
| Arm Length | Length of each radiating arm | 50 cm (rat) / 35 cm (mouse) |
| Arm Width | Width of each arm | 10 cm (rat) / 5 cm (mouse) |
| Wall Height | Transparent or opaque arm walls | 12 cm |
| Number of Arms | Total arms in the maze | 8 |
| Baited Arms | Arms with food reward for working/reference memory protocol | 4 of 8 |
| Reward | Food pellet at arm end | 45 mg sucrose pellet |
| Food Deprivation | Body weight maintained at | 85–90% free-feeding |
| Trial Duration | Maximum time per trial | 10 min |
| Training Days | Acquisition period | 10–20 sessions |
| Arm Entry Definition | Criterion for arm entry | All four paws or 80% body length |
Interpreting Results
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Increased Working Memory Errors
Impaired trial-specific memory — re-entries into already-visited arms reflect hippocampal dysfunction, seen after scopolamine and in aged rats.
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Increased Reference Memory Errors
Failure to learn arm-reward associations — entries into never-baited arms indicate long-term spatial memory deficit.
↓
Decreased Correct Choices in First 8
Impaired optimal foraging — fewer unique arms visited before first error indicates degraded spatial working memory.
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Elevated Perseverative Errors
Repetitive returns to the same incorrect arm — prefrontal-striatal dysfunction or compulsive responding.
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Increased Completion Time
Slowed foraging — may reflect cognitive difficulty, reduced motivation, or motor impairment.
↓
Reduced Win-Shift Efficiency
Failure to shift to unvisited arms after reward collection — impaired response flexibility.
Research Applications
Memory Dissociation
- Working vs reference memory — dual-error scoring provides within-subject dissociation
- Cholinergic function — scopolamine selectively impairs working memory errors
- Glutamatergic modulation — NMDA receptor antagonists affect both memory types
Aging & Neurodegeneration
- Age-related cognitive decline — longitudinal working memory tracking across lifespan
- Alzheimer's models — progressive dual-memory deficits in 3xTg and APP/PS1 mice
- Dietary and exercise interventions — caloric restriction and enrichment effects on maze performance
Spatial Strategy Analysis
- Search strategy classification — sequential, spatial, and random foraging patterns
- Hippocampal place cell correlates — arm selection sequences mapped to place field firing
- Prefrontal contribution — dorsolateral PFC lesions impair strategy selection without abolishing spatial memory
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