$1,890.00 – $1,990.00
The Lashley III maze is a tool designed to assess learning and memory. It provides a low-stress setting to examine route learning through a maze over multiple trials. Standard protocols avoid stress, food deprivation, or other stimuli. The MazeEngineers apparatus includes a start box, maze body, and goal box. To encourage task completion, the goal box can be filled with bedding that resembles a home cage, serving as a reward for mice. Although a large red base is not included with the standard order, it is available upon request.
MazeEngineers offers custom-built behavioral mazes at no extra costādesigned to fit your exact research needs. Eliminate reproducibility issues from poor sizing or lingering scent cues with precision-engineered, modular, and smart mazes that adapt in real time to animal behavior. Publish new protocols, run adaptive experiments, and push the boundaries of behavioral science.
Features |
Arm Length: 45cm x 7cm height x 5cm width |
Doors: 4cm x 4cm; located 11cm from walls |
Goal box: 19.5cm long x 7cm height x 5cm width |
Start box: 8cm x 9.5cm x 7cm |
Clear rooftop |
Base does NOT come with the Lashley by default |
Features |
Arm Length: 60cm x 10cm height x 8cm width |
Doors: 6cm x 6cm; located 14cm from walls |
Goal box: 26cm long x 9cm height x 6cm width |
Start box: 10cm x 12cm x 9cm |
Clear rooftop |
Base does NOT come with the Lashley by default |
The Lashley III alternation task is extensively used to evaluate learning and memory in rodents. This task involves route learning, where subjects navigate a maze through repeated trials. Developed by Karl Lashley in 1929, the apparatus was instrumental in his research to locate memory engrams in the cortex using cortical lesioning techniques. The paradigm is designed to be low-stress, typically conducted during the dark phase and without aversive stimuli, until the subjects reach the goal box from the start box.
The apparatus features an integrated start box, a four-arm maze, and a goal box. In modified versions, a pseudo-home cage is added at the end of the goal box. This pseudo-home cage contains the same bedding as the subjectās original home cage and remains specific to each subject throughout the experiment. This setup provides significant motivation for the subjects to learn the routes in the Lashley III maze (Blizard et al., 2006).
Originally, Karl Lashley used food cues for motivation. However, later modifications replaced food cues with the pseudo-home cage, which offers comparable motivation. Some researchers have also used food pellet rewards to encourage route learning in the Lashley III maze (Matzel et al., 2003).
The Lashley III maze is made from black acrylic with individual Plexiglas lids for each section, creating a low-light environment to simulate the dark phase. The apparatus features non-transparent acrylic walls and transparent lids. It includes a start box, four maze arms with five decision points, eight blind alleys, and a goal box. Additionally, it can be enhanced with a pseudo-home cage. The modular design allows for easy cleaning and customization.
Typically, the maze arms measure approximately 45 cm in length, 7 cm in height, and 5 cm in width. The decision point doors are about 4 x 4 cm and are positioned around 11 cm from the outer walls. The start box dimensions are approximately 8 x 9.5 x 7 cm, while the goal box measures about 19.5 x 7 x 5 cm. The transparent Plexiglas lids provide clear visibility of the subjects as they navigate the maze and prevent escape. The maze is generally set on a red Plexiglas base that can support the apparatus along with the pseudo-home cage, which is roughly the same size as the subject’s standard home cage.
The modular design of the Lashley III maze allows researchers to test various aspects of learning and retention. After the learning criterion is met, the maze can be rotated, changing the positions of the doors and choice points. This requires the subject to learn a new route to meet the learning criterion for this new configuration.
Additionally, the Lashley III maze can be modified by introducing odor cues or noise stimuli to further motivate maze exploration. To investigate state-dependent learning and memory, aversive stimuli like restraints can also be used.
Fig1: Days to achieve learning criterion in 3 months and 20 month old subjects
The sample data can be visualized by comparing the time spent to achieve learning criterion in subjects with respect to age. It is evident from the graph that with the increasing age, the sensory capabilities are decreased; therefore, the older subjects spend more time to meet the learning criterion. Figure 1.
Fig 2: Relationship between AMC lesioned subject verses sham with respect to retention deficit.
Another sample data can be visualized by comparing the retention deficit domain of anteromedial lesioned subjects with sham group. Figure 2
Bressler A,Ā Blizard D,Ā Andrews A. (2010).Ā Low-stress route learning using the Lashley III maze in mice. J Vis Exp.Ā 22;(39). pii: 1786. Doi: 10.3791/1786.
Lashley, K. (1929). Brain mechanisms and intelligence: A quantitative study of injuries to the brain. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Blizard DA,Ā Weinheimer VK,Ā Klein LC,Ā Petrill SA,Ā Cohen R,Ā McClearn GE. (2006).Ā āReturn to home cageā as a reward for maze learning in young and old genetically heterogeneous mice.Ā Comp Med. 56(3):196-201.
Louis D. Matzel,Ā Yu Ray Han,Ā Henya Grossman,Ā Meghana S. Karnik,Ā Dave Patel,Ā Nicholas Scott,Ā Steven M. SpechtĀ andĀ Chetan C. Gandhi. (2003).Ā Individual Differences in the Expression of a āGeneralā Learning Ability in Mice. Journal of Neuroscience.Ā 23Ā (16)Ā 6423-6433.
Espinoza-Cifuentes S,Ā Leander Zeise M. (2008).Ā The anteromedial extrastriate complex is critical for the use of allocentric visual cues and in the retention of the Lashley III maze task in rats. Biol Res. 41(4):405-12. Doi: /S0716-97602008000400006.
Pinto-Hamuy T,Ā Montero VM,Ā Torrealba F. (2004).Ā Neurotoxic lesion of anteromedial/posterior parietal cortex disrupts spatial maze memory in blind rats. Behav Brain Res. 31;153(2):465-70.
| Color | Black, Blue, Clear, Green, Grey, Red, White, Yellow |
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| Species | Mouse, Rat |
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