Centre Zone Time
Duration in the central region indicating reduced anxiety
ConductVision · Behavioral Analysis
Open Field Analysis
Track locomotion, anxiety, and exploration in a novel open arena.
RodentLocomotionAuto Export
ConductVision / Open Field Analysis
Recording / Trial 3subject tracked
Centre Time18%
Distance12.4m
Immobility8.1%
Key Parameters
Metrics automatically extracted by ConductVision.
Wall Zone Time
Thigmotaxis — time near arena walls
Corner Time
Duration in corners reflecting heightened anxiety
Centre Entries
Number of entries into the central zone
Total Distance
Cumulative path length as locomotion index
Immobility
Total time spent immobile during the session
+ 7 more parameters trackedShow allHide
Rearing Events
Frequency of upright exploratory postures (vertical activity)
Grooming Bouts
Self-grooming episodes as displacement behavior
Velocity
Mean movement speed across the session
Rotation Preference
Clockwise vs counterclockwise turning bias for lateralization
Movement Episodes
Number of discrete movement bouts separated by pauses
Habituation Slope
Decline in activity across time bins within the session
Zone Transitions
Frequency of crossings between center, intermediate, and wall zones
What is the Open Field Test?
The Open Field test evaluates exploration, anxiety-like behavior, and general locomotor activity by placing a rodent in a novel open arena. Researchers observe the conflict between curiosity-driven exploration and anxiety-induced avoidance of exposed central areas — thigmotaxis.
ConductVision tracks over 60 measures including customizable zone definitions. The system detects immobility, movement transitions, directional orientation, and rearing via integrated photo-beam arrays. Multi-apparatus configurations enable simultaneous tracking of multiple subjects.
Protocol Parameters
| Parameter | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Arena Size (Mouse) | Square or circular arena dimensions | 40 × 40 cm |
| Arena Size (Rat) | Square or circular arena dimensions | 100 × 100 cm |
| Wall Height | Arena wall height preventing escape | 40 cm (mouse) / 50 cm (rat) |
| Test Duration | Standard session length | 5–10 min |
| Light Intensity | Overhead illumination level | 200–300 lux |
| Center Zone | Central region definition for thigmotaxis scoring | Inner 25% of area |
| Wall Zone | Peripheral zone width along arena walls | Outer 8 cm |
| Start Position | Animal placement at trial start | Arena center or corner |
| Habituation | Room acclimation before testing | 30–60 min |
| Cleaning | Surface cleaning between subjects | 70% ethanol |
| Time Bins | Temporal resolution for habituation analysis | 1 min bins |
Interpreting Results
↓
Decreased Centre Zone Time
Increased anxiety-like behavior — thigmotaxis elevated in BALB/c strain, chronic stress models, and after anxiogenic drugs (caffeine, FG-7142).
↑
Increased Total Distance
Hyperlocomotion — seen with psychostimulants (amphetamine, cocaine), dopamine agonists, or mania-like states in DAT knockouts.
↓
Reduced Total Distance
Sedation or motor impairment — common with antipsychotics (haloperidol), high-dose benzodiazepines, or neurodegenerative motor deficits.
↑
Increased Rearing
Enhanced vertical exploration — novelty-driven or psychostimulant effect; rearing is suppressed by sedatives and anxiogenics.
↓
Flattened Habituation Slope
Impaired within-session habituation — failure to reduce exploration over time indicates cognitive or attentional deficit.
↑
Elevated Immobility
Depression-like or catatonic state — increased immobility may reflect behavioral despair or catalepsy from D2 receptor blockade.
Research Applications
Psychopharmacology
- Stimulant screening — amphetamine, methylphenidate, cocaine locomotor activation profiles
- Sedative profiling — benzodiazepine, antipsychotic, and antihistamine dose-response curves
- Anxiolytic evaluation — center time increase as secondary anxiety endpoint alongside EPM
Anxiety & Stress
- Chronic stress models — social defeat, restraint, and unpredictable stress effects on exploration
- Strain phenotyping — basal anxiety differences across C57BL/6, BALB/c, DBA/2, 129S strains
- Gene-environment interaction — transgenic anxiety models with environmental stressor challenges
Neurological & Motor
- Parkinson's disease — 6-OHDA and MPTP models with locomotor deficits and rotation bias
- Traumatic brain injury — acute hypolocomotion and recovery trajectory monitoring
- Circadian disruption — activity levels across light/dark phases in jet-lag models
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