Motor function and endurance
7,074 papers
2,091 papers
1,844 papers
1,354 papers
821 papers
491 papers
11 more tests under Motor function and endurance in the full list
Research data · Released November 10, 2026
Behavioral tests in published research
We counted how many animal research papers mention each of 90 behavioral tests in their title or abstract, and which species those papers used.
Both counts run by year from 2001. We searched 39.7 million PubMed records, up to November 8, 2026.
32,277 animal research papers from 2021 to 2025 mentioned at least one test
36% of those papers mentioned two or more tests
2020 the year mice overtook rats in papers that mention a test, after rats led every year from 2001
90 behavioral tests counted
From 2021 to 2025, mice appear in 51% of the papers that mention a test and rats in 42%. Some papers use both.
The 90 tests, ranked by papers from 2021 to 2025
Each row gives a test's papers from 2021 to 2025 and the change compared with 2011 to 2015. Pick a behavioral domain, such as pain and nociception or anxiety-like behavior, to narrow the list.
Sort
All 90 tests.
| Test | Papers, 2021 to 2025 | Compared with 2011 to 2015 | Papers a year, 2001 to 2025 | Species, share of papers | Apparatus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morris water maze Spatial learning and memory | 5,392 | 1.6 times | Mice 51%, rats 51% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Open field Activity and exploration | 3,980 | 2.1 times | Mice 55%, rats 42% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Novel object recognition Recognition memory | 3,019 | 2.3 times | Mice 57%, rats 40% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Forced swim test Depression-like behavior | 2,988 | 1.2 times | Mice 58%, rats 44% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Elevated plus maze Anxiety-like behavior | 2,883 | 1.3 times | Rats 51%, mice 50% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Treadmill running Motor function and endurance | 2,091 | 1.2 times | Mice 48%, rats 42% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Fear conditioning Fear and avoidance | 2,010 | about the same | Mice 58%, rats 35% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Y-maze Working memory | 1,988 | 2.9 times | Mice 64%, rats 32% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Rotarod Motor function and endurance | 1,844 | 1.4 times | Mice 67%, rats 36% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Sucrose preference test Depression-like behavior | 1,522 | 2.8 times | Mice 52%, rats 49% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Tail suspension test Depression-like behavior | 1,405 | 1.9 times | Mice 89%, rats 14% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Self-administration Reward and motivation | 1,399 | 9% fewer | Rats 70%, mice 25% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Grip strength Motor function and endurance | 1,354 | 2.9 times | Mice 71%, rats 25% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Von Frey test Pain and nociception | 1,282 | 1.6 times | Rats 53%, mice 49% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Passive avoidance Fear and avoidance | 1,142 | 10% fewer | Rats 56%, mice 42% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Conditioned place preference Reward and motivation | 1,078 | 11% fewer | Mice 60%, rats 39% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Wheel running Activity and exploration | 992 | 1.1 times | Mice 74%, rats 25% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Operant conditioning Reward and motivation | 945 | 24% fewer | Rats 55%, mice 32% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Gait analysis Motor function and endurance | 821 | 2.1 times | Mice 37%, rats 35% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Prepulse inhibition and acoustic startle Sensory function and startle | 804 | 23% fewer | Mice 43%, rats 37% | ||
| Hot plate Pain and nociception | 762 | 8% fewer | Mice 62%, rats 44% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Light-dark box Anxiety-like behavior | 725 | 1.5 times | Mice 48%, rats 30% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Formalin test Pain and nociception | 545 | 31% fewer | Mice 65%, rats 42% | ||
| Tail flick Pain and nociception | 545 | 33% fewer | Mice 52%, rats 50% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Writhing test Pain and nociception | 528 | 33% fewer | Mice 79%, rats 37% | ||
| Barnes maze Spatial learning and memory | 499 | 2.6 times | Mice 64%, rats 36% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Beam walking Motor function and endurance | 491 | 1.7 times | Mice 52%, rats 48% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Social interaction test Social behavior | 482 | 1.5 times | Mice 44%, rats 41% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Self-grooming Home-cage behavior | 447 | 1.6 times | Mice 47%, rats 27% | ||
| T-maze Working memory | 436 | 1.1 times | Mice 41%, rats 38% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Nest building Home-cage behavior | 422 | 2.0 times | Mice 48%, other animals 45% | ||
| Object location test Spatial learning and memory | 339 | 1.9 times | Mice 60%, rats 40% | ||
| Three-chamber sociability test Social behavior | 339 | 4.8 times | Mice 63%, rats 35% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Marble burying Anxiety-like behavior | 328 | 1.9 times | Mice 77%, rats 26% | ||
| Negative geotaxis and climbing assays Motor function and endurance | 305 | 2.2 times | Fruit flies 66%, rats 20% | ||
| Novelty-suppressed feeding Depression-like behavior | 260 | 1.6 times | Mice 63%, rats 40% | ||
| Novel tank test Anxiety-like behavior | 245 | 5.3 times | Zebrafish 96% | ||
| Catalepsy bar test Motor function and endurance | 244 | 27% fewer | Rats 54%, mice 51% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Radial arm maze Spatial learning and memory | 225 | 38% fewer | Rats 55%, mice 40% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Active avoidance (shuttle box) Fear and avoidance | 210 | 17% fewer | Rats 53%, mice 33% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Hole-board Activity and exploration | 206 | 13% fewer | Mice 62%, rats 37% | ||
| Wire hang and inverted grid Motor function and endurance | 206 | 2.4 times | Mice 73%, rats 29% | ||
| Predator odor exposure Fear and avoidance | 185 | 8% fewer | Rats 44%, mice 37% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Hargreaves plantar test Pain and nociception | 174 | about the same | Mice 53%, rats 49% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Cylinder test Motor function and endurance | 163 | 1.5 times | Rats 47%, mice 44% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Pole test Motor function and endurance | 161 | 2.2 times | Mice 85%, rats 18% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Grid walking (foot fault) Motor function and endurance | 155 | 1.4 times | Mice 55%, rats 48% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Touchscreen operant tasks Attention and executive function | 146 | 3.2 times | Mice 60%, rats 25% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Elevated zero maze Anxiety-like behavior | 136 | 1.3 times | Mice 63%, rats 39% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Resident-intruder test Social behavior | 134 | 6% fewer | Mice 55%, rats 34% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Splash test Depression-like behavior | 132 | 6.9 times | Mice 67%, rats 32% | ||
| Attentional set shifting Attention and executive function | 113 | 23% fewer | Rats 68%, mice 27% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Rotational behavior (rotometer) Motor function and endurance | 110 | 48% fewer | Rats 46%, mice 44% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Adhesive removal test Motor function and endurance | 107 | 1.4 times | Mice 52%, rats 50% | ||
| Ladder rung walking Motor function and endurance | 104 | 1.4 times | Rats 58%, mice 41% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Five-choice serial reaction time task Attention and executive function | 103 | 41% fewer | Rats 58%, mice 38% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Step-down avoidance Fear and avoidance | 97 | 51% fewer | Mice 68%, rats 30% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Skilled reaching Motor function and endurance | 95 | 33% fewer | Rats 55%, mice 45% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Looming stimulus Fear and avoidance | 92 | 2.0 times | Mice 49%, other animals 35% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Acetone test Pain and nociception | 85 | 1.6 times | Rats 65%, mice 36% | ||
| Learned helplessness Depression-like behavior | 85 | 33% fewer | Rats 53%, mice 47% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Olfactory tests Sensory function and startle | 81 | 1.4 times | Mice 62%, rats 28% | ||
| Cold plate Pain and nociception | 74 | 1.9 times | Mice 58%, rats 43% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Paw pressure test Pain and nociception | 70 | 45% fewer | Rats 77%, mice 29% | ||
| Drug discrimination Reward and motivation | 65 | 46% fewer | Rats 74%, mice 40% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Corner test Motor function and endurance | 59 | 1.8 times | Mice 58%, rats 49% | ||
| Social approach and avoidance Social behavior | 54 | 2.5 times | Mice 74%, rats 17% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Tube test for social dominance Social behavior | 51 | 3.9 times | Mice 71%, rats 29% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Radial arm water maze Spatial learning and memory | 48 | 51% fewer | Rats 56%, mice 44% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Burrowing Home-cage behavior | 40 | 1.7 times | Mice 65%, rats 23% | ||
| Puzzle box Attention and executive function | 34 | Too few papers to compare | Other animals 50%, mice 44% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Thermal gradient and temperature preference Pain and nociception | 31 | Too few papers to compare | Mice 58%, other animals 26% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Elevated T-maze Anxiety-like behavior | 29 | 60% fewer | Rats 83%, mice 17% | ||
| Observational fear Fear and avoidance | 26 | Too few papers to compare | Mice 92% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Active place avoidance Spatial learning and memory | 24 | 11% fewer | Mice 75%, rats 38% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Social operant tasks Social behavior | 23 | Too few papers to compare | Rats 52%, mice 30% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Real-time place preference Reward and motivation | 19 | Too few papers to compare | Mice 89%, rats 21% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Plus maze for place and response learning Spatial learning and memory | 16 | 41% fewer | Mice 63%, rats 38% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Runway Reward and motivation | 12 | 48% fewer | Mice 42%, other animals 42% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Three-choice serial reaction time task Attention and executive function | 9 | Too few papers to compare | Mice 56%, rats 33% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Cincinnati water maze Spatial learning and memory | 8 | Too few papers to compare | Rats 100% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Hebb-Williams maze Spatial learning and memory | 8 | Too few papers to compare | Mice 50%, rats 50% | ||
| Vogel conflict test Anxiety-like behavior | 8 | Too few papers to compare | Rats 88%, other animals 13% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Water Y-maze Working memory | 4 | Too few papers to compare | Mice 75%, rats 25% | Shop the apparatus | |
| 3D open field Activity and exploration | 1 | Too few papers to compare | Mice 100% | Shop the apparatus | |
| 3D radial maze Spatial learning and memory | 1 | Too few papers to compare | Mice 100% | Shop the apparatus | |
| Bow-tie maze Recognition memory | 0 | Too few papers to compare | No papers | ||
| Concatenated Y-maze Working memory | 0 | Too few papers to compare | No papers | Shop the apparatus | |
| Continuous object recognition Recognition memory | 0 | Too few papers to compare | No papers | Shop the apparatus | |
| Dry-land Morris maze Spatial learning and memory | 0 | Too few papers to compare | No papers | Shop the apparatus |
A change shows only when a test has 10 or more papers in both periods. A change under 5% shows as “about the same”. All tests together grew to 1.2 times as many. Treadmill running and wheel running include papers that used them as exercise. A paper can use more than one species, so a test's species shares can add to more than 100%.
Tests by behavioral domain
Each domain shows how many papers from 2021 to 2025 mentioned any of its tests. A paper that mentions tests from two domains counts under both.
Spatial learning and memory
6,421 papers
5,392 papers
499 papers
339 papers
225 papers
48 papers
6 more tests under Spatial learning and memory in the full list
Activity and exploration
5,082 papers
Depression-like behavior
4,223 papers
2,988 papers
1,522 papers
1,405 papers
260 papers
132 papers
1 more test under Depression-like behavior in the full list
Anxiety-like behavior
3,863 papers
2,883 papers
725 papers
328 papers
245 papers
136 papers
2 more tests under Anxiety-like behavior in the full list
Fear and avoidance
3,637 papers
2,010 papers
1,142 papers
210 papers
185 papers
97 papers
2 more tests under Fear and avoidance in the full list
Reward and motivation
3,133 papers
1,399 papers
1,078 papers
945 papers
65 papers
Real-time place preference
19 papers
1 more test under Reward and motivation in the full list
Pain and nociception
3,039 papers
1,282 papers
762 papers
545 papers
545 papers
528 papers
5 more tests under Pain and nociception in the full list
Recognition memory
3,019 papers
3,019 papers
2 more tests under Recognition memory in the full list
Working memory
2,404 papers
1 more test under Working memory in the full list
Social behavior
991 papers
482 papers
339 papers
134 papers
54 papers
51 papers
1 more test under Social behavior in the full list
Home-cage behavior
900 papers
Sensory function and startle
885 papers
804 papers
81 papers
Attention and executive function
393 papers
146 papers
113 papers
103 papers
34 papers
Three-choice serial reaction time task
9 papers
Tests mentioned together
Among the 36% of papers from 2021 to 2025 that mentioned two or more tests, these pairs came up most often.
Papers from 2021 to 2025 that mention both tests
Open field and elevated plus maze
939 papers
Open field and forced swim test
896 papers
Forced swim test and tail suspension test
893 papers
Forced swim test and sucrose preference test
863 papers
Morris water maze and novel object recognition
846 papers
Forced swim test and elevated plus maze
646 papers
Novel object recognition and Y-maze
609 papers
Morris water maze and Y-maze
607 papers
Tests by disease model
Each row counts the papers from 2021 to 2025 that mention a test and study that disease model. The model comes from a paper's MeSH terms. For a paper PubMed has not indexed, it comes from PubTator 3 when that service finds the disease in the title or abstract. A paper can count under more than one model.
Papers from 2021 to 2025 by disease model, with the test they mention most
Cognitive impairment and dementiaMost often the Morris water maze, in 54% of the papers
4,961 papers
AnxietyMost often the elevated plus maze, in 51% of the papers
3,041 papers
DepressionMost often the forced swim test, in 64% of the papers
2,827 papers
Pain conditionsMost often the von Frey test, in 38% of the papers
2,617 papers
Alzheimer diseaseMost often the Morris water maze, in 60% of the papers
2,445 papers
Substance use disordersMost often self-administration, in 50% of the papers
1,599 papers
Psychological stressMost often the forced swim test, in 42% of the papers
1,484 papers
Stroke and brain ischemiaMost often the Morris water maze, in 32% of the papers
1,278 papers
Parkinson diseaseMost often the rotarod, in 36% of the papers
918 papers
Brain injuryMost often the Morris water maze, in 38% of the papers
841 papers
DiabetesMost often the Morris water maze, in 34% of the papers
795 papers
Obesity and high-fat dietMost often treadmill running, in 21% of the papers
761 papers
AgingMost often the Morris water maze, in 26% of the papers
700 papers
Epilepsy and seizuresMost often the Morris water maze, in 23% of the papers
572 papers
Autism spectrum disorderMost often the three-chamber sociability test, in 27% of the papers
484 papers
Schizophrenia and psychosisMost often prepulse inhibition and acoustic startle, in 40% of the papers
401 papers
Sleep loss and sleep disordersMost often the Morris water maze, in 28% of the papers
400 papers
Post-traumatic stressMost often fear conditioning, in 57% of the papers
392 papers
Spinal cord injuryMost often gait analysis, in 33% of the papers
382 papers
Multiple sclerosis and demyelinationMost often the rotarod, in 30% of the papers
223 papers
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosisMost often the rotarod, in 50% of the papers
108 papers
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorderMost often the open field, in 32% of the papers
107 papers
Huntington diseaseMost often the rotarod, in 51 of the 96 papers
96 papers
Fragile X syndromeMost often the open field, in 8 of the 38 papers
38 papers
Down syndromeMost often fear conditioning, in 3 of the 16 papers
16 papers
Huntington disease, fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome have fewer than 100 papers each, so they have no page of their own. Their papers are in the downloads.
How test use changed
Animal research papers that mention a test grew from 2,404 in 2001 to 7,115 in 2025, 3.0 times as many. Counting only papers the National Library of Medicine indexed, those that mention a test grew to 2.5 times as many over the same years, and all animal research papers to 1.7 times as many. The table of all 90 tests compares two five-year periods: 26,411 papers mentioned a test in 2011 to 2015 and 32,277 in 2021 to 2025, 1.2 times as many.
- Among tests of depression-like behavior, the anhedonia and grooming tests grew fastest. Sucrose preference papers grew from 542 to 1,522, 2.8 times as many, and splash test papers from 19 to 132, 6.9 times as many. Forced swim papers grew to 1.2 times as many, the same as all tests together.
- Among pain tests, von Frey papers grew from 780 to 1,282, 1.6 times as many, while tail flick, writhing and formalin test papers each fell by about a third.
- The novel tank test, run in zebrafish in 96% of its papers, grew from 46 papers to 245, 5.3 times as many, while all tests together grew to 1.2 times as many.
- Of the three social tests with 100 or more papers in 2021 to 2025, the three-chamber sociability test grew fastest, from 71 papers to 339, 4.8 times as many. Social interaction test papers grew to 1.5 times as many, and resident-intruder test papers fell 6%.
Animal research papers that mention a behavioral test, by year, 2001 to 2026
The 2026 bar counts papers added to PubMed by November 8, 2026.
- Papers in a full year
- 2026 so far
Show the counts for each year
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 2,404 |
| 2002 | 2,552 |
| 2003 | 2,746 |
| 2004 | 2,952 |
| 2005 | 3,189 |
| 2006 | 3,357 |
| 2007 | 3,469 |
| 2008 | 3,881 |
| 2009 | 3,948 |
| 2010 | 4,183 |
| 2011 | 4,606 |
| 2012 | 5,076 |
| 2013 | 5,516 |
| 2014 | 5,631 |
| 2015 | 5,582 |
| 2016 | 5,758 |
| 2017 | 5,880 |
| 2018 | 6,100 |
| 2019 | 6,182 |
| 2020 | 6,461 |
| 2021 | 6,786 |
| 2022 | 6,374 |
| 2023 | 5,863 |
| 2024 | 6,139 |
| 2025 | 7,115 |
| 2026 (part year) | 6,543 |
Papers that mention a test fell from 6,786 in 2021 to 5,863 in 2023, then rose to 7,115 in 2025. Papers that PubMed indexed under the MeSH heading Animals also fell and rose, from 200,221 in 2021 to 156,447 in 2023 and 235,479 in 2025. We take each paper's species from PubMed's indexing whenever it names one, so part of this dip may come from the indexing rather than from fewer studies.
Tests that grew the most
Of the tests with 100 or more papers in 2021 to 2025, these 6 grew the most since 2011 to 2015.
- 2011 to 2015
- 2021 to 2025
Splash test19 papers in 2011 to 2015, 132 in 2021 to 2025
6.9 times
Novel tank test46 papers in 2011 to 2015, 245 in 2021 to 2025
5.3 times
Three-chamber sociability test71 papers in 2011 to 2015, 339 in 2021 to 2025
4.8 times
Touchscreen operant tasks46 papers in 2011 to 2015, 146 in 2021 to 2025
3.2 times
Grip strength459 papers in 2011 to 2015, 1,354 in 2021 to 2025
2.9 times
Y-maze684 papers in 2011 to 2015, 1,988 in 2021 to 2025
2.9 times
Tests that fell the most
Of the tests with 100 or more papers in 2011 to 2015, these 6 fell the most by 2021 to 2025.
- 2011 to 2015
- 2021 to 2025
Step-down avoidance199 papers in 2011 to 2015, 97 in 2021 to 2025
51% fewer
Rotational behavior (rotometer)210 papers in 2011 to 2015, 110 in 2021 to 2025
48% fewer
Drug discrimination120 papers in 2011 to 2015, 65 in 2021 to 2025
46% fewer
Paw pressure test128 papers in 2011 to 2015, 70 in 2021 to 2025
45% fewer
Five-choice serial reaction time task174 papers in 2011 to 2015, 103 in 2021 to 2025
41% fewer
Radial arm maze361 papers in 2011 to 2015, 225 in 2021 to 2025
38% fewer
Which species the papers used
Among papers that mention a test, rats led every year from 2001 to 2019 and mice every year since 2020. In 2025, 3,862 papers used mice and 2,799 used rats. Mice still lead when we drop the species found by text mining and count only papers the National Library of Medicine indexed: 3,143 used mice and 2,284 used rats in 2025.
Papers that mention a behavioral test in mice and in rats, by year, 2001 to 2025
- Mouse
- Rat
Show the counts for each year and species
| Year | Mouse | Rat |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 700 | 1,516 |
| 2002 | 732 | 1,559 |
| 2003 | 856 | 1,687 |
| 2004 | 949 | 1,809 |
| 2005 | 1,020 | 1,955 |
| 2006 | 1,150 | 1,949 |
| 2007 | 1,222 | 2,044 |
| 2008 | 1,426 | 2,226 |
| 2009 | 1,501 | 2,197 |
| 2010 | 1,648 | 2,335 |
| 2011 | 1,849 | 2,605 |
| 2012 | 2,091 | 2,729 |
| 2013 | 2,329 | 2,954 |
| 2014 | 2,310 | 3,030 |
| 2015 | 2,349 | 2,928 |
| 2016 | 2,542 | 2,911 |
| 2017 | 2,624 | 2,931 |
| 2018 | 2,747 | 2,937 |
| 2019 | 2,859 | 2,954 |
| 2020 | 3,043 | 3,005 |
| 2021 | 3,353 | 2,998 |
| 2022 | 3,142 | 2,791 |
| 2023 | 2,996 | 2,444 |
| 2024 | 3,209 | 2,548 |
| 2025 | 3,862 | 2,799 |
Papers from 2021 to 2025 that use each species
Each bar is a share of the 32,277 papers.
Mouse
16,562 papers 51%
Rat
13,580 papers 42%
Other animals
2,100 papers 7%
Zebrafish
651 papers 2%
Fruit fly
295 papers 1%
Nonhuman primate
188 papers 1%
“Other animals” counts animal research papers that use none of the species above, such as studies in guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, pigs or worms.
How we counted
A count here is the number of papers whose title or abstract mentions a test. It is not a count of experiments, labs or animals.
What counts as mentioning a test
A paper mentions a test when its title or abstract holds one of the test's search terms as whole words, such as “Morris water maze” or “water maze”. Some terms also name other things, so these known cases do not count toward the test they seem to name:
- tail suspension used to unload the hind limbs, which is not the tail suspension test
- a 12-hour light-dark cycle, which is not the light-dark box
- a shuttle box used for passive avoidance, which counts as passive avoidance, not active avoidance
A radial arm water maze or a Cincinnati water maze does not count as a Morris water maze. Each test's search terms are in the test list download.
Other animals make up 45% of nest building papers. For tests like these, check the species shares in the table before reading the count as use in mice or rats.
We started from the behavioral tests our store lists, counting a variant such as an automated Y-maze under its main test. We added 20 well-known tests the store does not list, such as marble burying and the formalin test. In the test list download, these 20 have no store labels. Every test stays on the list, even one with few papers.
A paper that mentions a test only in its methods is missed, so every count runs low.
Which papers count as animal research
A paper counts when the National Library of Medicine's subject indexing (MeSH) names an animal species. When MeSH names no species, as for a paper PubMed has not indexed, the species come from PubTator 3, NCBI's text-mining service, if it finds one in the title or abstract.
From 2021 to 2025, 54,370 papers mentioned a test. We set aside 19,287 that studied only people and 2,806 with no species found, which leaves 32,277. PubTator 3 supplied the species for 6,460 of them.
Of the 962,474 papers the library indexed as animal research from 2021 to 2025, 25,817 (about 3%) mention one of these tests. The library's yearly totals on this page count papers indexed with the MeSH heading Animals, from the same PubMed files.
Which years count
Most counts on this page cover papers published from 2021 to 2025. The yearly series runs from 2001, and 2026 holds papers to November 8, 2026. Each paper counts in the year PubMed gives it.
Which publication types count
Errata, retraction notices, expressions of concern and preprints are left out, so a preprint and its journal version count once. Reviews are counted, and each test's review count is in the test list download.
Check 100 matches yourself
We drew 100 matches at random from the papers of 2021 to 2025. The random sample download gives each one with the text around it and a link to the paper, so you can judge whether the search term named the test. Because the 100 were drawn at random from all matches, the most-mentioned tests fill most of the sample, and rare tests appear rarely or not at all.
Sources and terms of use
Every number comes from dated public files loaded into ConductScience's research database, not from a live search. The “Every counted paper” download lists the papers behind each count.
| Source | What it gives | Terms of use |
|---|---|---|
| PubMed | Titles, abstracts, years, subject indexing and publication types, from the yearly and daily files | Courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine |
| PubTator 3 | Species and diseases it finds in the title or abstract, for papers the library has not indexed, with the diseases in the downloads | A U.S. Government work, free to use |
| iCite | Citation counts, in the downloads | CC BY 4.0, from the NIH Office of Portfolio Analysis |
| NIH RePORTER | Links from papers to NIH projects, in the downloads | Public domain |
The files we read, with their sizes and checksums
| File | Size in bytes | SHA-256 checksum, or the records it holds |
|---|---|---|
| 1,306 PubMed yearly files, combined November 7, 2026 | 35,813,134,336 | Records to August 31, 2026 |
| 387 PubMed daily update files, combined November 9, 2026 | 2,849,685,504 | Records to November 8, 2026 |
| PubTator 3 concepts, dated October 6, 2026 | 6,138,750,462 | 5a4254321d98daad0e6f35dda44410eade91b289466e6c1a146fb4b9645718cc |
| PubMed grant lists, dated November 6, 2026 | 215,877,122 | 39b1d9d845447564f93c2929e8d471aadc92f779915bf8f0058210dfaf754c7a |
| iCite citation counts, dated November 5, 2026 | 340,402,664 | b417e4eb8a56f37497f299a4cc78e3406db02be19e9733a863657fb426bc368b |
| 46 NIH RePORTER link tables, one per year, dated November 1, 2026 | 65,710,918 | Each file’s checksum is in the “All numbers” download |
Downloads
Released November 10, 2026. CSV files open in any spreadsheet, and the compressed one needs unzipping first.
How to cite
APA
ConductScience. (2026, November 10). Behavioral tests in published research [Data set]. https://conductscience.com/data/behavioral-tests
BibTeX
@misc{conductscience_behavioral_tests_2026,
author = {{ConductScience}},
title = {Behavioral tests in published research},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
url = {https://conductscience.com/data/behavioral-tests},
note = {Data set, released November 10, 2026},
}Release history
| Released | What changed |
|---|---|
| November 10, 2026 | We added a page for each of the 72 tests with 30 or more papers from 2021 to 2025, and for 22 disease models. We narrowed the search terms for 11 tests that also matched other meanings, such as cat hair in allergy studies. PubTator 3 now supplies a species or disease model only when it finds one in the title or abstract, the text we search. Labels from some papers' full text had made most disease models appear to fall in 2024. We renamed chronic stress to psychological stress, the name of the MeSH heading behind it, which also covers acute stress. |
| November 10, 2026 | First release: 90 tests, PubMed to November 8, 2026 |
Apparatus for 68 of the 90 tests
Our store sells apparatus for the Morris water maze, the open field, the novel object recognition, the forced swim test, the elevated plus maze and 63 more.
Shop behavioral mazes