Measurement notes
Define whether open-arm time starts when the centroid, head, or all four paws enter an arm. Center-zone handling matters because animals often pause there before choosing open or closed arms.
Endpoint methods library
Elevated plus maze endpoint
Open-arm time
Duration or percentage of an elevated plus maze session spent in the open arms under a defined arm-entry rule.
Unit
seconds or percent session time
Readout
Time in open arms during a defined elevated plus maze session
Assays
Elevated plus maze, elevated zero maze variants, anxiety-like behavior screens
Decision summary
Use open-arm time when the study asks about elevated plus maze avoidance or exploration. Interpret it with open-arm entries, closed-arm entries, total distance, risk-assessment behaviors, lighting, and arm-entry criteria rather than as anxiety by itself.
| Primary value | Time in open arms during a defined elevated plus maze session |
|---|---|
| Common units | Seconds, percent open-arm time, open-arm entries |
| Compatible assays | Elevated plus maze, elevated zero maze variants, anxiety-like behavior screens |
| Required boundary | Arm-entry rule, center-zone handling, session duration, and lighting |
| Do not infer alone | Anxiety, risk preference, locomotion, or drug anxiolysis without companion endpoints |
Interpretation limit
More open-arm time can support reduced avoidance, but hyperactivity, sedation, fall risk, lighting, maze height, previous exposure, and closed-arm preference can all change open-arm occupancy.
Data capture
Store animal ID, arm coordinates, entry rule, open-arm time, closed-arm time, center time, open entries, closed entries, distance traveled, lighting, maze height, and exclusion notes.
Confound checks
- Lighting, maze height, arm width, wall height, or room cues differ across sessions.
- Entry rule or center-zone handling changes open-arm time.
- Low locomotion or sedation reduces arm sampling.
- Hyperactivity increases entries and open-arm exposure independent of anxiety-like behavior.
- Prior exposure, handling, sex, strain, and age alter baseline exploration.
Reporting checklist
- Maze dimensions, height, arm wall details, lighting, room cues, and cleaning protocol.
- Session duration, start position, entry rule, and center-zone handling.
- Open-arm time, closed-arm time, center time, open entries, closed entries, and total distance.
- Risk-assessment behaviors if scored, including head dips and stretched-attend postures.
- Manual or automated scoring method, blinding, and tracking quality thresholds.
- Drug timing, prior exposure, sex, strain, age, and exclusion criteria.
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.
- Walf AA, Frye CA. The use of the elevated plus maze as an assay of anxiety-related behavior in rodents. Nat Protoc. 2007. doi:10.1038/nprot.2007.44.
- Pellow S, File SE. Anxiolytic and anxiogenic drug effects on exploratory activity in an elevated plus-maze. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1986. doi:10.1016/0091-3057(86)90552-6.
Related workflow paths
Endpoint articles link to adjacent products, software workflows, and sibling endpoints where the connection is useful and already routable.
