Measurement notes
Define the covered threshold before scoring, such as two-thirds or fully covered. Record digging duration or locomotion when possible because animals can contact or displace marbles without a consistent burying strategy.
Endpoint methods library
Digging and repetitive behavior endpoint
Marble burying count
Number of marbles covered by bedding after a defined exposure period in a marble burying test.
Unit
count or percent buried
Readout
Number of marbles meeting the predefined buried criterion
Assays
Marble burying test, digging behavior, repetitive behavior screens, anxiolytic or compulsive-like behavior studies
Decision summary
Use marble burying count when the study needs a simple digging, repetitive, or exploratory behavior readout. Avoid treating the count as a pure anxiety or compulsivity measure; substrate, novelty, locomotion, and digging drive need to be visible.
| Primary value | Number of marbles meeting the predefined buried criterion |
|---|---|
| Common units | Count buried, percent buried, latency, digging duration when scored |
| Compatible assays | Marble burying test, digging behavior, repetitive behavior screens, anxiolytic or compulsive-like behavior studies |
| Required boundary | Bedding depth, marble arrangement, buried criterion, and session duration |
| Do not infer alone | Anxiety, compulsivity, perseverance, or repetitive phenotype without controls |
Interpretation limit
More buried marbles can reflect repetitive digging, exploration, neophobia, substrate preference, or arousal. Fewer buried marbles can reflect sedation, low locomotion, motor impairment, low digging drive, or bedding differences.
Data capture
Store animal ID, cage dimensions, bedding type, bedding depth, marble count, marble layout, session duration, buried criterion, count buried, digging duration, distance moved, latency, and exclusion notes.
Confound checks
- Bedding type, depth, density, or moisture differs across sessions.
- Marble size, spacing, odor, cleaning, or layout changes novelty and digging.
- Locomotor suppression or hyperactivity changes opportunity to bury.
- Scorer threshold differs for partially covered marbles.
- Prior exposure, handling, stress, sex, strain, age, or housing changes digging drive.
Reporting checklist
- Cage dimensions, bedding material, bedding depth, marble size, marble layout, and cleaning.
- Session duration, buried criterion, scoring time, scorer blinding, and photo documentation if used.
- Number buried, percent buried, digging duration, latency, distance, and non-digging behaviors when scored.
- Treatment timing, habituation, prior exposure, housing, sex, strain, age, and light cycle.
- Rules for displaced but uncovered marbles, clustered bedding, and ambiguous partial coverage.
- Companion endpoints such as grooming, distance traveled, center time, or nest quality.
References
Evidence notes
Endpoint pages should cite the method literature behind the scored value and keep high-specificity protocol claims qualified unless the source supports them.
- Deacon RMJ. Digging and marble burying in mice: simple methods for in vivo identification of biological impacts. Nat Protoc. 2006. doi:10.1038/nprot.2006.20.
- Thomas A et al. Marble burying reflects a repetitive and perseverative behavior more than novelty-induced anxiety. Psychopharmacology. 2009. doi:10.1007/s00213-009-1466-y.
Related workflow paths
Endpoint articles link to adjacent products, software workflows, and sibling endpoints where the connection is useful and already routable.
