Total Head Dips
Number of head dips into any hole per session
ConductVision · Behavioral Analysis
Hole Board Maze
Count and time head dips into each hole, from overhead video.
RodentExplorationAuto Export
ConductVision / Hole Board Maze
Recording / Trial 3subject tracked
Head Dips34
Dip Duration1.8s
Holes Visited14/16
Key Parameters
Metrics automatically extracted by ConductVision.
Head Dip Duration
Mean time the head stays in a hole per dip
Latency to First Dip
Time from placement to the first head dip
Unique Holes Visited
Number of different holes dipped into at least once
Dips per Hole
Head dips counted separately for every hole on the board
Repeated Dips
Dips into holes the animal has already visited
+ 3 more parameters trackedShow allHide
Edge vs Center Dips
Dips into outer holes compared with dips into center holes
Working Memory Ratio
Dips into new holes divided by all dips
Distance Traveled
Total path length across the board surface
Example output
Head dips, hole by hole
A five-minute session on a 16-hole board. Every head dip is logged with its hole, start time, and duration, and the standard hole board measures come from that log. Change the scoring window to match your protocol.
Dips per hole
Select a hole to find its dips on the timeline.
dipsCenter holes
Every dip in the first 5 min
- First dip into a hole
- Repeat dip
- Head dips
- 28
- Mean dip duration
- 1.04 s
- Latency to first dip
- 8.4 s
- Holes visited
- 15 of 16
- Repeated dips
- 13
- Working memory ratio
- 0.54
- New-hole dips / all dips
- Edge dips
- 25
- 12 edge holes
- Center dips
- 3
- 4 center holes
Show the dip log as a table
| Dip | Hole | Zone | Start | Duration | New hole |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1 | edge | 8.4 s | 1.2 s | Yes |
| 2 | A2 | edge | 15.0 s | 0.8 s | Yes |
| 3 | B1 | edge | 21.7 s | 1.5 s | Yes |
| 4 | A1 | edge | 30.2 s | 0.6 s | No |
| 5 | A3 | edge | 38.9 s | 1.1 s | Yes |
| 6 | A4 | edge | 47.5 s | 2.0 s | Yes |
| 7 | B4 | edge | 55.0 s | 0.9 s | Yes |
| 8 | C4 | edge | 63.8 s | 1.4 s | Yes |
| 9 | B4 | edge | 70.1 s | 0.7 s | No |
| 10 | D4 | edge | 82.6 s | 1.0 s | Yes |
| 11 | D3 | edge | 91.0 s | 1.8 s | Yes |
| 12 | C3 | center | 99.4 s | 0.6 s | Yes |
| 13 | D2 | edge | 108.2 s | 1.3 s | Yes |
| 14 | D1 | edge | 117.9 s | 0.9 s | Yes |
| 15 | C1 | edge | 126.5 s | 1.1 s | Yes |
| 16 | D1 | edge | 133.0 s | 0.5 s | No |
| 17 | B2 | center | 145.3 s | 0.8 s | Yes |
| 18 | A2 | edge | 154.8 s | 1.0 s | No |
| 19 | A1 | edge | 166.0 s | 0.7 s | No |
| 20 | B1 | edge | 178.4 s | 1.6 s | No |
| 21 | C2 | center | 190.2 s | 0.9 s | Yes |
| 22 | A3 | edge | 203.7 s | 1.2 s | No |
| 23 | A4 | edge | 215.5 s | 0.6 s | No |
| 24 | D4 | edge | 229.9 s | 1.4 s | No |
| 25 | C4 | edge | 244.1 s | 0.8 s | No |
| 26 | D2 | edge | 258.6 s | 0.7 s | No |
| 27 | D3 | edge | 271.0 s | 1.1 s | No |
| 28 | A1 | edge | 286.3 s | 0.9 s | No |
What is the Hole Board Maze?
The Hole Board Maze measures directed exploration through head dips into holes in the floor. Head dips are scored separately from walking, so the test separates directed exploration from general locomotor activity.
ConductVision finds the animal in every frame and tracks its head, body center, and tail base. You mark the holes in the software to match your board, and head dips are counted and timed for each hole. The same analysis works for mice and rats. Body-point coordinates export as a DeepLabCut-format CSV alongside the recorded video.
Protocol Parameters
| Parameter | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Board Size | Platform dimensions | 40 × 40 cm (mouse) / 60 × 60 cm (rat) |
| Number of Holes | Total holes in the board | 16 (4 × 4 grid) |
| Hole Diameter | Diameter of each floor hole | 3 cm (mouse) / 4 cm (rat) |
| Hole Depth | Depth of each hole well | 4 cm |
| Inter-Hole Spacing | Center-to-center distance between holes | 8 cm (mouse) / 12 cm (rat) |
| Test Duration | Standard session length | 5 min |
| Light Intensity | Overhead illumination | 200–300 lux |
| Head-Dip Definition | Criterion for scoring a head dip | Ears below board surface |
| Baited Holes | Holes containing food reward (for memory protocol) | 4 of 16 |
| Food Deprivation | Body weight for rewarded protocol | 85–90% free-feeding |
| Habituation | Room acclimation before testing | 30–60 min |
Before you record
Camera straight overhead
Keep the whole board in view. Tracking uses top-down video of the head, body center, and tail base.
Mark the holes to match your board
Place one marker per hole in the software before scoring, so every dip is assigned to its hole.
Keep the camera fixed
Hole positions are set once. A camera that moves during the session assigns dips to the wrong holes.
Choose the scoring window first
Protocols commonly score 5 to 10 minutes. Pick the window before testing and use it for every animal.
Methods text
A starting paragraph for your methods section. Fill in the bracketed values from your study.
Head dips were scored automatically with ConductVision (ConductScience, version [version]) from overhead video of a [16]-hole board. The head, body center, and tail base of the animal were tracked in every frame, and each head dip was assigned to its hole. Total head dips, head-dip duration, latency to the first dip, holes visited, and repeated dips were calculated over the first [5] min of each session.
Interpreting Results
↓
Decreased Total Head Dips
Reduced directed exploration. Anxiogenic drugs such as FG-7142 and chronic stress suppress head dipping.
↑
Increased Total Head Dips
More exploration. Anxiolytics such as diazepam, or a novelty-seeking phenotype, increase head dipping.
↓
Reduced Working Memory Ratio
Poor within-trial spatial memory: a high share of dips goes to holes the animal has already visited.
↓
Impaired Reference Memory
Baited hole locations are not learned across sessions, so dips into never-baited holes stay high after training.
↑
Increased Edge vs Center Dips
Exploration biased toward the outer holes, a sign of anxiety-like avoidance of the center.
↑
Elevated Latency to First Dip
Delayed start of exploration, seen with neophobia, freezing, or low exploratory drive.
Research Applications
Exploration & Anxiety
- Anxiolytic screening: head-dip frequency as an exploration-based anxiety endpoint
- Neophobia: directed exploration measured apart from locomotor activity
- Strain comparisons: baseline exploration across inbred mouse strains
Spatial Memory
- Working memory: new versus repeated hole visits within one trial
- Reference memory: baited hole accuracy across training sessions (Oades & Isaacson protocol)
- Scopolamine model: cholinergic impairment of hole-board spatial memory
Pharmacology & Neurodegeneration
- Cognitive enhancers: donepezil and memantine effects on baited hole-board performance
- Neurotoxicology: heavy metal and pesticide exposure effects on directed exploration
- Aging: age-related decline in exploration and spatial accuracy
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