Sniffing in Rodents: Exploring Sensory Perception, Neural Mechanisms, and Genetic Influences
May 22, 2025
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The Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) is one of the gold standards for evaluating anxiety-related behavior in rodents. While time spent in the open or closed arms provides valuable information about anxiety levels, the number of entries into the closed arms tells a more dynamic story about activity patterns, emotional reactivity, and coping strategies.
At Conduct Science, we emphasize the importance of multi-metric analysis. Using high-precision mazes paired with automated tracking solutions like ConductVision, researchers can reliably quantify frequency of closed-arm entries—capturing nuances often missed by static time measurements alone.
Every entry a rodent makes into the closed arms reflects a behavioral choice: seeking shelter, maintaining comfort, or coping with an anxiogenic environment. This frequency metric provides insight into several core domains:
| Behavioral Pattern | Interpretation |
|---|---|
|
High number of closed-arm entries |
High exploratory drive despite preference for sheltered areas. May indicate hyperactivity, mild anxiety, or habituation over time. |
|
Low number of closed-arm entries |
Severe anxiety (freezing), sedation, motor impairment, or passive coping (e.g., staying in one place). |
|
Stable entries across trials |
Consistent coping style or successful habituation to the environment. |
|
Increased entries after treatment |
Possible anxiolytic effect if coupled with increased open-arm entries, or psychostimulant effect if movement rises globally. |
Thus, number of entries complements duration metrics by revealing the tempo of behavior: not just how long the animal stays, but how actively it navigates its emotional state.
Our EPM systems are optimized for behavioral tracking excellence:
By combining robust hardware with sophisticated tracking, entry events are recorded seamlessly—eliminating human error or subjective scoring.
In a pharmacological study examining the effects of a novel 5-HT1A receptor agonist, researchers evaluated EPM performance in C57BL/6J mice:
| Group | Closed Arm Entries (avg.) | Open Arm Entries (avg.) | Total Distance (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Control |
8.1 ± 0.9 |
3.2 ± 0.6 |
320.5 ± 25.1 |
|
Anxiolytic-Treated |
10.7 ± 1.2 |
6.5 ± 0.8 |
420.7 ± 31.7 |
Key Insights:
✅ Conclusion: Entry frequency analysis helped distinguish between simple movement increase and genuine anxiolytic-driven exploration.
To ensure robust, interpretable data:
Traditional manual scoring is time-consuming and prone to bias. ConductVision’s AI-based tracking revolutionizes entry detection by:
This ensures greater reproducibility, reduced scoring fatigue, and deeper behavioral insights for every session.
Beyond baseline anxiety measurement, tracking closed-arm entries can inform:
Multi-dimensional data on frequency, timing, and path patterns create a rich behavioral fingerprint.
Counting the number of entries into the closed arms is more than just tallying movement—it’s about understanding how animals actively navigate perceived threats and safe zones. Combined with traditional time-based measurements, it allows researchers to develop multi-layered behavioral profiles critical for interpreting emotional and cognitive states.
At Conduct Science, we provide the experimental tools to move beyond basic metrics, empowering researchers to unlock more from every behavioral trial.
Written by researchers, for researchers — powered by Conduct Science.
Dr Louise Corscadden acts as Conduct Science’s Director of Science and Development and Academic Technology Transfer. Her background is in genetics, microbiology, neuroscience, and climate chemistry.
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