Primary Assay — Rat
Elevated Plus Maze
Rattus norvegicus
Larger version for rats (50 cm arm length). Rats show more robust open arm avoidance than mice, making this the preferred anxiolytic screening tool in the pharmaceutical industry.
Quantitative Output
Measured Parameters
Every parameter is automatically tracked frame-by-frame in the ConductVision pipeline for Rattus norvegicus.
| Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open arm time | % | Time in open arms / total time |
| Open arm entries | count | Full body entries |
| Stretched attend postures | count | Risk assessment from closed to open arm |
| Head dips (protected/unprotected) | count | Looking over edge from closed vs open arm |
| Closed arm entries | count | General locomotor activity control |
References
Citations for Elevated Plus Maze
- Pellow S, Chopin P, File SE, Briley M. (1985). Validation of open:closed arm entries in an elevated plus-maze as a measure of anxiety in the rat. J Neurosci Methods, 14(3), 149-167. PMID: 2864480
- Carobrez AP, Bertoglio LJ. (2005). Ethological and temporal analyses of anxiety-like behavior: the elevated plus-maze model 20 years on. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 29(8), 1193-1205. PMID: 16084592
Compatible Equipment
Hardware for Rat Research
Open Field Maze (rat size)
OFT locomotion and anxiety
Elevated Plus Maze (rat)
Anxiety screening
Morris Water Maze (150-180 cm)
Spatial learning
Radial Arm Maze (8-arm)
Reference and working memory
Operant Conditioning Chamber
Reinforcement learning, addiction
Social Interaction Arena
Social behavior
Y-Maze (rat)
Spontaneous alternation
Passive Avoidance Chamber
Aversive memory
PPI Startle Chamber
Sensorimotor gating
Related Assays
Other Rat Primary Assays
03
Open Field Test
Rattus norvegicus
Same principle as mouse OFT but with larger arena (typically 100×100 cm). Rats produce richer behavioral repertoires inc…
03
Morris Water Maze
Rattus norvegicus
Originally developed for rats (Morris, 1984). Larger pool (150-180 cm diameter). Rats are stronger swimmers and show mor…
03
Radial Arm Maze
Rattus norvegicus
Eight-arm maze radiating from a central platform. Separate assessment of reference memory (which arms are baited) and wo…
Run Elevated Plus Maze on ConductVision
Our team will configure the protocol, camera rig, and analysis pipeline for your rat facility.
