Measurement notes
Define exploration as nose orientation or contact within a distance threshold, not climbing or sitting on the object unless justified. Exclude or flag animals with too little total exploration because ratios become unstable.
Endpoint methods library
Recognition memory endpoint
Novel object discrimination index
Relative exploration of a novel object compared with a familiar object during a recognition-memory test.
Unit
index, ratio, percent, or seconds
Readout
Novel-object exploration relative to familiar-object exploration
Assays
Novel object recognition, object location, object-context recognition
Decision summary
Use novel object discrimination index when the study asks whether animals preferentially explore novelty after a familiarization delay. The endpoint is strongest when exploration criteria, object counterbalancing, retention interval, total exploration, and object bias are all reported.
| Primary value | Novel-object exploration relative to familiar-object exploration |
|---|---|
| Common units | Discrimination index, recognition index, percent novel exploration, or seconds |
| Compatible assays | Novel object recognition, object location, object-context recognition |
| Required boundary | Exploration definition, object set, retention interval, and formula |
| Do not infer alone | Memory strength, attention, anxiety, or object preference without companion checks |
Interpretation limit
Higher novel-object preference can support recognition memory, but innate object bias, low exploration, anxiety, odor cues, poor tracking, side preference, and locomotor differences can shift the index.
Data capture
Store animal ID, object pair, object side, familiarization exploration, test exploration, retention interval, novel time, familiar time, total exploration, discrimination formula, distance traveled, and exclusion flags.
Confound checks
- Object novelty, odor, size, texture, or stability is not counterbalanced.
- Low total exploration makes the discrimination index noisy.
- Side bias or wall preference changes object access.
- Retention interval, familiarization exposure, or arena cleaning differs between animals.
- Locomotor, anxiety-like, sensory, or visual changes alter object sampling.
Reporting checklist
- Object dimensions, materials, cleaning, counterbalancing, and side assignment.
- Habituation, familiarization duration, retention interval, and test duration.
- Exploration definition, distance threshold, body point, and scorer blinding.
- Novel time, familiar time, total exploration, entries, distance, and exclusion thresholds.
- Discrimination or recognition-index formula and handling of zero-exploration cases.
- Companion endpoints such as distance traveled, center time, anxiety measures, or object-location controls.
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.
Related workflow paths
Endpoint articles link to adjacent products, software workflows, and sibling endpoints where the connection is useful and already routable.
