The water maze (tank: ∼1.2 m diameter, Maze Engineers, Cambridge, MA) was maintained at 24°C, with water made opaque through addition of non-toxic white tempera paint.
Maze Engineers, the maker named in the paper, is part of ConductScience.
The Morris Water Maze is the gold standard behavioral apparatus for assessing spatial learning and memory in rodents. Originally developed by Richard Morris in 1984, this paradigm exploits the natural aversion of rodents to water and their innate swimming ability to evaluate hippocampal-dependent spatial navigation. The test involves placing animals in a circular pool filled with opaque water containing a hidden platform that provides escape from the water.
This apparatus features a 1.3-meter diameter circular pool with 0.6-meter walls, accommodating both mice and rats. The water level is maintained at 0.4 meters above the base, with the invisible platform positioned 1 cm below the surface at 0.39 meters height. The platform's silvery-white color ensures it remains concealed beneath the opaque water, while a visible black platform at 0.4 meters height serves for control trials and initial training phases.
How It Works
The Morris Water Maze operates on the principle that rodents possess an innate aversion to water and will actively seek an escape platform. During acquisition trials, animals are placed at various starting positions around the pool perimeter and must navigate to locate the hidden platform using distal visual cues positioned around the testing room. The opaque water prevents animals from seeing the platform directly, forcing reliance on spatial memory and cognitive mapping rather than local visual or olfactory cues.
The hippocampus constructs a cognitive map of the spatial environment through integration of visual landmarks, allowing animals to develop allocentric spatial representations. Performance is measured through latency to platform, path length, swimming speed, and search strategies. Probe trials, conducted with the platform removed, assess memory consolidation by measuring time spent in the target quadrant where the platform was previously located.
Multiple task variants can be implemented using the same apparatus, including reference memory tasks (fixed platform location), working memory protocols (changing platform positions), and reversal learning paradigms. The silvery-white invisible platform and black visible platform allow researchers to alternate between spatial memory testing and control conditions within the same experimental session.
Features & Benefits
1.3-meter diameter circular pool
Provides optimal spatial dimensions for both mouse and rat testing with sufficient swimming area and platform search space.
Dual platform system (visible/invisible)
Enables alternating between spatial memory trials and sensorimotor control conditions within the same experimental protocol.
0.6-meter wall height
Prevents escape while providing adequate vertical space for video tracking and maintaining animal motivation to locate the platform.
Adjustable platform height system
Allows precise positioning of platforms at 0.39m (hidden) and 0.4m (visible) heights for standardized testing protocols.
Compatible maze configurations
Supports multiple paradigms including Water T-Maze, Water RAM, Water Y-Maze, and Water Plus Maze for diverse experimental designs.
Customization availability
Accommodates specific experimental requirements through custom modifications to pool dimensions, platform configurations, or accessories.
Opaque water system
Eliminates visual platform cues and forces reliance on spatial memory rather than direct visual guidance during navigation.
Species-appropriate sizing
Optimized dimensions accommodate both mouse and rat testing with appropriate scaling for natural swimming behavior and spatial cognition assessment.
Research identifiers
These IDs come from the Measurement Method Ontology (MMO) and NCBI Taxonomy. Use them in data records and methods sections.
Single apparatus accommodates diverse research programs without requiring separate equipment purchases.
Configuration Flexibility
Compatible with T-Maze, RAM, Y-Maze, Plus Maze variants
Standard models are limited to basic circular configuration
Multiple paradigms possible with same base apparatus, expanding experimental capabilities.
Customization Options
Available upon request
Fixed configurations with limited modification options
Accommodates specific research requirements and novel experimental protocols.
This Morris Water Maze provides comprehensive spatial learning assessment capabilities through its dual platform system, species-flexible design, and configuration versatility. The 1.3-meter diameter and 0.6-meter walls offer optimal dimensions for robust behavioral phenotyping across multiple experimental paradigms.
Model
Size
SKU
Listed price
Status
Shipping box
4 Ft (Mouse)
Diameter 120 cm · Height 81 cm
3101-01 (+1)
$1,490.00
Available
200.0 × 200.0 × 100.0 cm
5ft (Intermediate)
Diameter 155 cm · Height 89 cm
3101-04 (+1)
$1,690.00 – $1,790.00
Available
200.0 × 200.0 × 100.0 cm
6 Ft (Rat)
Diameter 180 cm · Height 76 cm
3101-02-WHITE (+2)
$1,990.00
Available
200.0 × 200.0 × 100.0 cm
Neuroscience
Evaluating hippocampal-dependent spatial memory formation and consolidation in transgenic mouse models of neurological disorders.
Behavioral Pharmacology
Assessing cognitive effects of novel compounds and determining drug impact on spatial learning acquisition and retention.
Aging Research
Measuring age-related decline in spatial navigation abilities and memory performance in rodent models of cognitive aging.
Learning and Memory
Investigating the neural mechanisms underlying place learning, reference memory, and working memory through various task configurations.
Neurodegeneration
Characterizing cognitive impairments in animal models of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other neurodegenerative conditions.
Addiction Research
Examining cognitive dysfunction and spatial memory deficits associated with chronic substance exposure in rodent models.
Practical Tips
Calibration
Verify platform height daily using a ruler to ensure the invisible platform remains exactly 1 cm below water surface.
Why: Platform depth consistency is critical for standardized escape latencies and motivation levels.
Maintenance
Clean pool walls weekly with mild detergent to remove biofilm buildup that could provide tactile navigation cues.
Why: Wall cleanliness maintains reliance on distal visual cues rather than proximal tactile information.
Best Practices
Randomize starting positions across trials while maintaining equal representation of all quadrant entry points.
Why: Balanced start positions prevent development of response strategies that bypass spatial memory formation.
Data Quality
Record ambient room temperature and lighting conditions with each session to identify environmental variables affecting performance.
Why: Environmental consistency ensures that performance changes reflect experimental manipulations rather than testing conditions.
Troubleshooting
If animals show excessive floating behavior, reduce trial duration and increase inter-trial intervals to maintain motivation.
Why: Floating indicates learned helplessness that compromises spatial learning assessment.
Safety
Monitor animals continuously during trials and have towels readily available for immediate drying after platform location.
Why: Rapid drying prevents hypothermia and reduces stress that could influence subsequent trial performance.
Best Practices
Conduct probe trials at consistent time intervals after acquisition to standardize memory consolidation assessment.
Why: Timing consistency enables comparison of memory strength across different experimental groups.
Maintenance
Replace water opacity agents when platform becomes visible from any angle to maintain spatial memory requirements.
Why: Platform visibility compromises the cognitive demands of the task and invalidates spatial memory assessment.
Setup Guide
Pool Assembly
Assemble the 1.3-meter diameter circular pool and position on a stable, level surface with adequate clearance for video tracking equipment.
Water Filling
Fill pool with water to 0.4 meters above base, maintaining temperature at 25±2°C throughout testing sessions.
Water Opacity
Add non-toxic white powder, paint, or milk to create opaque water that completely conceals the submerged platform from animal view.
Platform Positioning
Position the invisible platform 1 cm below water surface at 0.39 meters height in the designated target quadrant.
Visual Cues
Install distinct visual landmarks at fixed positions around the testing room to provide spatial reference points for navigation.
Tracking Setup
Configure video tracking system with overhead camera positioned to capture the entire pool area for automated path analysis.
Temperature Control
Monitor and maintain consistent water temperature throughout testing sessions to minimize thermal stress effects on performance.
Platform Validation
Verify platform stability and confirm invisible platform remains 1 cm below water surface before each testing session.
What’s in the Box
1.3-meter diameter circular pool
Hidden platform (silvery-white)
Visible platform (black)
Assembly hardware
User manual with standard protocols
Platform positioning guide (typical)
Warranty
ConductScience provides a one-year manufacturer warranty covering materials and workmanship defects, with technical support for setup and protocol optimization.
Compliance
ARRIVE GuidelinesSupports standardized reporting of spatial learning experiments through consistent apparatus specifications and protocol parameters.
NIH Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory AnimalsCommonly used in behavioral testing protocols that must adhere to institutional animal care and use committee oversight.
OECD Test GuidelinesSupports neurotoxicology studies and cognitive function assessment protocols in regulatory toxicology testing frameworks.
References
Background reading relevant to this product:
1.Richard Morris (1984) “Developments of a water-maze procedure for studying spatial learning in the rat” Journal of Neuroscience Methodsdoi:10.1016/0165-0270(84)90007-4
2.Charles V. Vorhees et al. (2006) “Morris water maze: procedures for assessing spatial and related forms of learning and memory” Nature Protocolsdoi:10.1038/nprot.2006.116
3.Rudi D'Hooge et al. (2001) “Applications of the Morris water maze in the study of learning and memory” Brain Research Reviewsdoi:10.1016/s0165-0173(01)00067-4
4.Kelley Bromley‐Brits et al. (2011) “Morris Water Maze Test for Learning and Memory Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice” Journal of Visualized Experimentsdoi:10.3791/2920
5.Muhammad Zulfadhli Othman et al. (2022) “Morris water maze: a versatile and pertinent tool for assessing spatial learning and memory” EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALSdoi:10.1538/expanim.21-0120
The Morris Water Maze is a behavioral apparatus used to assess spatial learning and memory in rodents. Animals navigate a circular pool of opaque water to locate a hidden submerged platform, relying on external visual cues for orientation.
Q
How does the Morris Water Maze work?
A
Rodents are placed in a water-filled circular pool where they must swim to find a hidden platform below the surface. Over repeated trials, researchers measure escape latency, path length, and swim patterns to quantify spatial memory acquisition and recall.
Q
What research applications use the Morris Water Maze?
A
The Morris Water Maze is widely used in Alzheimer's disease research, drug screening for cognitive enhancers, and studies of hippocampal-dependent spatial memory. It is also applied in neurotoxicology and traumatic brain injury models.
Have a question about this product?
Each paper below used this product. Under each title is the paper’s own sentence naming the equipment it used.
Ronen Reshef, Mina Shahi, Victoria Ho et al. · Preprint on bioRxiv · 2026
From the methods
Imaging in the Morris water maze (MWM) was performed in a circular maze (120 cm in diameter; Maze Engineers) filled with water mixed with nontoxic white paint (Acrylic white paint – Blick).
Ane Korff, Xiaojing Yang, Ozan Ozdemir et al. · Science Translational Medicine · 2026
From the paper
The Morris water maze (MazeEngineers) consisted of a cued phase to test the physical ability of the mice to complete the task, followed by a training/spatial learning phase and finally, a spatial memory test phase (16).
Luis Manuel Salgueiro-Tosta, Arumugam Radhakrishnan Jayakumar, William Kochen et al. · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2025
From the methods
...GWI exposure model. The MWM consisted of a pool 160 cm diameter and 60 cm in height (Maze Engineers, Skokie, IL, USA) filled with water opaqued with non-toxic white tempera (Blick Art Materials,...
Ghayda M Mirzaa, Keqin Yan, Raissa Relator et al. · Nature Communications · 2025
From the methods
...for 30 minutes before testing. The Morris water maze is a large plastic tank (~132 cm diameter, Maze Engineers, Skokie, IL) filled with tap water maintained at 22 °C and made opaque with white tempera paint.
Jeremy Davidson Bailoo, Susan E Bergeson, Igor Ponomarev et al. · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · 2024
From the methods
...area of 100 cm2 (10 × 10 cm) and a height of 10 cm. Both the MWM and T-Insert were built by Maze Engineers and housed at the Garrison Institute of Aging (GIA) behavioral facility at TTUHSC.
Sarah Naguib, Chloe Lopez-Lee, Eileen Ruth Torres et al. · Preprint on bioRxiv · 2024
From the methods
Briefly, mice were placed in a circular pool (122cm in diameter, blue polyethylene, made by Maze Engineers) filled with water made with non-toxic chalk.
Benjamin Klocke, Carter Moore, Hayden Ott et al. · Behavioural Pharmacology · 2023
From the methods
...a commercially-obtained circular mouse swimming pool measuring 5 ft in diameter and 31 cm deep (Maze Engineers, MA, USA) was filled with tap water mixed with non-toxic water-based white paint.
...at 4 weeks post-TBI at the San Francisco VA Animal Behavior Core Facility. A swimming pool (Maze Engineers) filled with opaque water was monitored using video tracking software, Ethovision XT13 (Noldus),...
Mark S. Cembrowski, Matthew G. Phillips, Salvatore F. DiLisio et al. · Cell · 2018
From the methods
The water maze (tank: ∼1.2 m diameter, Maze Engineers, Cambridge, MA) was maintained at 24°C, with water made opaque through addition of non-toxic white tempera paint.
The same license also scores standard tests such as the open field, the elevated plus maze, the Y-maze and the Barnes maze. Results export as CSV files.
RGRichard G. M. MorrisDeveloped the Morris Water Maze (1981–1984)University of Edinburgh
About the Creator
Richard G. M. Morris is a British neuroscientist and Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh, where much of his career has been spent studying how the brain forms and stores memories. A Fellow of the Royal Society, his research centers on the hippocampus, spatial learning, and the synaptic mechanisms — including NMDA-receptor-dependent long-term potentiation — that underlie memory formation and consolidation. He developed the water maze in the early 1980s to test whether animals could navigate to a hidden goal using distal spatial cues alone, and the task has since become one of the most widely used assays of hippocampus-dependent spatial memory in neuroscience.
To view Richard G. M. Morris’s publications, visit PubMed.
Are you Richard G. M. Morris? to review your photo and bio, and find out how to submit Creator Insights.
ConductScience celebrates method creators: researchers who, through rigorous and often ingenious experiments, develop the tools that reveal how the brain and body work. These are real scientific discoveries that become everyday instruments for the labs that follow.
Foundational papers
Morris, R. G. M. (1981). Spatial localization does not require the presence of local cues. Learning and Motivation, 12(2), 239–260. doi:10.1016/0023-9690(81)90020-5
Morris, R. G. M., Garrud, P., Rawlins, J. N. P., & O’Keefe, J. (1982). Place navigation impaired in rats with hippocampal lesions. Nature, 297(5868), 681–683. doi:10.1038/297681a0
Morris, R. (1984). Developments of a water-maze procedure for studying spatial learning in the rat. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 11(1), 47–60. doi:10.1016/0165-0270(84)90007-4
The Morris Water Maze is a hippocampal-dependent spatial learning task in which rodents learn the location of a hidden escape platform using distal room cues. Morris introduced the task as a way to separate place learning from simple cue approach behavior, and it became the reference assay for spatial memory because the platform can be removed during a probe trial to test memory without reinforcement. 1
The paradigm is widely used in Alzheimer disease, traumatic brain injury, stroke, aging, and pharmacology because acquisition curves, search strategy, and probe-trial bias can be measured in the same apparatus. 1 The visible-platform control is essential because motor impairment, visual impairment, thermoregulation, and stress reactivity can all masquerade as memory deficits. 2
A strong MWM methods section therefore needs pool size, platform, cue, and tracking details alongside enough protocol context to avoid swim-stress and motor-confound errors. 1
§ 2
Methods
2.1 Procedure
Hidden-platform acquisition followed by probe and visible-platform control trials.
Pre-test setup
1.Room cues: Place stable distal cues around the pool before habituation. Do not move cues between acquisition and probe sessions.
2.Water preparation: Fill the pool with opaque water at the protocol temperature used for all groups, typically 20 to 26 C depending on strain and ethics protocol.
3.Platform calibration: Set hidden platform 0.5 to 1 cm below the water surface. Confirm the platform cannot be seen from the release points.
4.Tracking calibration: Calibrate the overhead camera to the pool edge and define quadrant, annulus, wall, and platform zones before the first subject.
Trial sequence
1.Release subject: Release from pseudo-randomized compass positions facing the pool wall.
2.Acquire trial: Allow up to 60 seconds to find the hidden platform. If the animal fails, guide it to the platform and score maximum latency.1
3.Platform dwell: Leave the subject on the platform for 10 to 20 seconds to encode the location.
4.Inter-trial interval: Dry the animal, maintain temperature, and keep inter-trial intervals consistent within cohort.
5.Probe trial: Remove the platform and record a 60-second search trial after acquisition reaches criterion.
Critical methodological constraints
Motor and vision controls. Always include a visible-platform trial or control phase when genotype, injury, age, or treatment could affect swim speed or vision.3
Stress and hypothermia. Water temperature, trial spacing, and drying procedure must be fixed. A cognitive deficit claim is weak if body temperature or floating behavior differs by group.
Cue stability. Moving room cues between days converts the task into an uncontrolled reversal problem.
Strategy matters. Latency alone can improve through non-spatial chaining or thigmotaxis reduction. Report path efficiency and search strategy alongside latency.
2.2 Measurement & Analysis
Core MWM metrics ConductVision scores from swim trajectories.
Escape Latency
Acquisition curve
Time to reach the hidden platform. Interpretable only with swim speed and visible-platform controls.1
Path Length
Motor-normalized learning
Distance swum before platform discovery. Less sensitive than latency to swim-speed differences.
Target Quadrant Time
Probe memory
Percent of probe trial spent in the former platform quadrant after the platform is removed.2
Platform Crossings
Spatial precision
Number of crossings through the exact former platform location during the probe trial.
Thigmotaxis
Search strategy control
Time near the wall. Persistent wall-hugging can obscure spatial learning and should be reported.
+ Additional metrics: swim speed, heading error, cumulative search error, annulus crossings, quadrant entropy, floating time, and path efficiency.
2.3 target quadrant preference (analysis)
A simple probe-trial index: target quadrant time divided by total quadrant time.
Formula: target quadrant time / (target quadrant time + other quadrant time) x 100. Chance performance is 25% in a four-quadrant probe. Interpret alongside platform crossings and path strategy. 1
§ 3
Results
3.1 Sample apparatus output
Representative acquisition and probe output from a hidden-platform study.
Table 1 · Per-animal Morris Water Maze scoring output
Animal
Group
Latency (s)
Path (m)
Target quadrant (s)
Preference (%)
MWM-001
Control
21
4.8
25
41.7%
MWM-002
Control
18
4.2
27
45.0%
MWM-003
Control
24
5.0
23
38.3%
MWM-004
Impaired
44
8.6
16
26.7%
MWM-005
Impaired
51
9.3
14
23.3%
MWM-006
Impaired
47
8.9
15
25.0%
Synthetic example for illustration only. Interpret probe preference with platform crossings and visible-platform controls.
§ 4
Discussion
Limitations of the paradigm, methodological caveats, and current directions.
4.1 Common confounds
Variables that can shift Morris Water Maze results apart from the effect under study.
Swim speed
Latency increases when animals swim slowly. Report path length and swim speed before calling a latency change a memory deficit.3
Floating behavior
Floating and passive coping reduce apparent search. Track immobility separately from spatial navigation.
Visual acuity
Visual impairment can impair cue-based navigation. Visible-platform performance is the practical control.
Temperature
Cold water changes motivation and physiology. Keep temperature constant and monitor vulnerable strains or aged animals.
Non-spatial strategies
Chaining, circling, and wall-hugging can reduce latency without true place learning. Strategy labels help separate these cases.
4.2 Construct validity caveats
MWM is powerful because it couples acquisition with a probe trial, but it is also stressful and motor-loaded. 1 Studies involving injury, aging, frailty, or motor phenotypes should report visible-platform controls, swim speed, and path-based endpoints before interpreting latency as cognition. 2
4.3 Special considerations
When should I use Barnes Maze instead?
Use Barnes Maze when swimming stress, hypothermia, motor impairment, or repeated longitudinal testing would confound MWM interpretation. 1
Is escape latency enough?
No. Latency should be paired with path length, swim speed, thigmotaxis, and probe-trial measures because latency can improve through non-spatial strategies.
How many acquisition days are typical?
Many protocols use 4 to 6 acquisition days with several trials per day, then a probe trial after criterion or the final acquisition day. Match schedule to strain, age, and manipulation.
4.4 Current directions
Quarterly editorial review of emerging Morris Water Maze methodology. Q2 2026
Methods
Path strategy classification
Automated strategy labels are increasingly reported with latency to distinguish spatial search from chaining and thigmotaxis.
Emerging
Longitudinal disease models
AD, TBI, and stroke studies increasingly combine MWM with dry-land spatial tasks to separate memory from motor and stress effects.
Methods
Visible-platform normalization
Reviewers expect visible-platform controls when treatments plausibly affect motor function, vision, or motivation.
Emerging
Pose and thermal monitoring
Thermal management and posture-aware scoring are becoming standard for aged and injured cohorts.
§ 5
Background references
10 selected methods and validation studies of the Morris Water Maze, from any lab.
Morris R. Developments of a water-maze procedure for studying spatial learning in the rat. J Neurosci Methods. 1984;11(1):47-60.Find source
Vorhees CV, Williams MT. Morris water maze: procedures for assessing spatial and related forms of learning and memory. Nat Protoc. 2006;1(2):848-858.Find source
Vorhees CV, Williams MT. Assessing spatial learning and memory in rodents. ILAR J. 2014;55(2):310-332.Find source
D'Hooge R, De Deyn PP. Applications of the Morris water maze in the study of learning and memory. Brain Res Brain Res Rev. 2001;36(1):60-90.Find source
Barnes CA. Memory deficits associated with senescence: a neurophysiological and behavioral study in the rat. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1979;93(1):74-104.Find source
Garthe A, Kempermann G. An old test for new neurons: refining the Morris water maze to study adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Front Neurosci. 2013;7:63.Find source
Whishaw IQ. A comparison of rats and mice in a swimming pool place task and matching-to-place task: some surprising differences. Physiol Behav. 1995;58(4):687-693.Find source
Wolfer DP, Lipp HP. Dissecting the behaviour of transgenic mice: is it the mutation, the genetic background, or the environment? Exp Physiol. 2000;85(6):627-634.Find source
Janus C. Search strategies used by APP transgenic mice during navigation in the Morris water maze. Learn Mem. 2004;11(3):337-346.Find source
Hodges H. Maze procedures: the radial-arm and water maze compared. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 1996;3(3-4):167-181.Find source
