Measurement notes
Define zones in physical units or calibrated coordinates, then decide whether centroid, nose, whole body, or any body point controls occupancy. Keep start zones, transition zones, and wall-adjacent areas consistent across animals.
Endpoint methods library
Spatial occupancy endpoint
Time in zone
Duration or percentage of a trial spent inside a predefined arena, arm, chamber, target quadrant, platform, or stimulus zone.
Unit
seconds or percent
Readout
Cumulative time inside a predefined spatial region
Assays
Open field, elevated plus maze, light-dark box, novel tank, three-chamber, water maze probe, place preference
Decision summary
Use time in zone when the research question depends on where the animal allocates exploration or avoidance. Do not use zone occupancy as a standalone emotional or cognitive label without locomotion, entries, latency, and apparatus context. The endpoint is strongest when zone geometry, body-point rule, and edge handling are specified before scoring.
| Primary value | Cumulative time inside a predefined spatial region |
|---|---|
| Common units | Seconds, percent session time, percent arm time, quadrant dwell time |
| Compatible assays | Open field, elevated plus maze, light-dark box, novel tank, three-chamber, water maze probe, place preference |
| Required boundary | Zone geometry and body point used for inclusion |
| Do not infer alone | Anxiety, preference, memory, or social motivation without companion endpoints |
Interpretation limit
More center, open-arm, target-quadrant, or stimulus-zone time can support a hypothesis, but it can also reflect locomotor change, poor tracking, altered sensory cues, side bias, or low total exploration.
Data capture
Store zone definitions, coordinate stream, entry and exit timestamps, total zone time, percentage, entries, latency to first entry, distance in zone, valid-frame percentage, and software version.
Confound checks
- Zone boundaries drawn differently between cohorts or sessions.
- Centroid-only scoring missing nose investigation or edge hovering.
- Low locomotion making percent time unstable or misleading.
- Uneven lighting, odor, wall texture, chamber cues, or side bias.
- Start placement or trial order changing initial zone exposure.
Reporting checklist
- Zone dimensions, coordinate calibration, and zone inclusion rule.
- Session duration, start position, and first-entry handling.
- Whether reported values are seconds, percentages, or epoch-specific summaries.
- Companion endpoints: distance traveled, entries, latency, speed, and immobility.
- Tracking quality thresholds and treatment of missing or ambiguous frames.
- Apparatus cleaning, lighting, cue placement, and counterbalancing details.
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.
- Seibenhener ML, Wooten MC. Use of the open field maze to measure locomotor and anxiety-like behavior in mice. J Vis Exp. 2015. doi:10.3791/52434.
- Vorhees CV, Williams MT. Morris water maze: procedures for assessing spatial and related forms of learning and memory. Nat Protoc. 2006. doi:10.1038/nprot.2006.116.
Related workflow paths
Endpoint articles link to adjacent products, software workflows, and sibling endpoints where the connection is useful and already routable.
