How do I pick which behavior tests to run?

Start with the biological question, then choose the narrowest assay set that measures the endpoint without overloading the animals. Use motor and sensory controls when interpreting anxiety, memory, pain, or social behavior.

What's the right test order?

Run low-stress and baseline locomotor tests early, then place one-trial or aversive tests late. Forced swim, fear conditioning, and pain procedures can change later behavior, so schedule them after tests that depend on spontaneous exploration.

How long should my battery be?

Shorter batteries are easier to interpret. Many studies can answer the core question with three to six assays plus controls. Longer batteries need planned recovery days, consistent handling, and a written rationale for assay order.

Can I run anxiety and depression tests on the same animals?

Yes, but order matters. Run open-field, light-dark box, or elevated plus maze before forced swim or tail suspension. If the depression endpoint is primary and stress carryover is a concern, split the battery across cohorts.

How many animals do I need per group?

Use a power analysis based on the primary endpoint, expected effect size, variance from your strain and apparatus, and planned exclusions. Do not size the study from the total number of tests in the battery.

How do I score reliably across labs?

Use operational definitions, blinded videos, a rater calibration set, and inter-rater reliability checks before unblinding. For categorical states, report kappa. For continuous measures, report ICC or another predefined agreement statistic.

What's the difference between a calculator and the apparatus?

The apparatus controls the environment and records behavior. The calculator or analyzer converts scored data into indices, QC flags, group summaries, and exportable results for reporting.

ToolsConductScience tool

30+ toolsFree in-browser calculator

Rodent Behavior Tests.

Every calculator, analyzer, and scorer we publish, organized by paradigm. Pick a test, run the math, then connect the assay to apparatus and ConductVision video automation.

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Validated2026-04-30

CitableMethods and citation included

Calculator

Results update in place

Anxiety

Tests that use a rodent's natural approach-avoidance conflict to index anxiety-like behavior.

6 tools

Elevated Plus Maze

Anxiety Index, percent open arm time, locomotion control

Open tool

Light-Dark Box

Time and entries in light versus dark compartment

Open tool

Open Field

Center versus periphery, locomotion, thigmotaxis

Open tool

Marble Burying

Percent marbles at least two-thirds buried, anxiety and repetitive behavior

Open tool

Acoustic Startle

Mean startle amplitude and habituation slope

Open tool

Prepulse Inhibition

Percent PPI and sensorimotor gating

Open tool

Depression

Behavioral assays of behavioral despair and anhedonia, including FST, TST, and sucrose preference.

4 tools

Forced Swim Test

Immobility time and behavioral despair summary

Open tool

Tail Suspension Test

Immobility time, a non-aquatic alternative to FST

Open tool

FST/TST Manual Scorer

Per-animal manual scoring with timestamps

Open tool

Sucrose Preference

Anhedonia threshold and preference percentage

Open tool

Memory

Spatial, recognition, and associative memory paradigms.

8 tools

Morris Water Maze

Escape latency, path efficiency, probe quadrant time

Open tool

Barnes Maze

Errors, primary latency, total latency, search strategy

Open tool

Y-Maze Alternation

Percent spontaneous alternation and working memory

Open tool

T-Maze Percent Correct

Rewarded alternation and working-memory accuracy

Open tool

Radial Arm Maze

Reference and working memory errors

Open tool

Novel Object Recognition

Discrimination index and recognition memory

Open tool

Fear Conditioning

Cued and contextual freezing for associative memory

Open tool

Active/Passive Avoidance

Step-down or shuttle avoidance memory

Open tool

Motor

Strength, coordination, balance, and asymmetry assays.

5 tools

Rotarod

Latency to fall on an accelerating rod

Open tool

Pole Test

T-turn and T-total latency for bradykinesia

Open tool

Beam Walk

Traversal time and foot slips

Open tool

Wire Hang

Best and mean hang time for neuromuscular endurance

Open tool

Cylinder Test

Schallert asymmetry index for unilateral lesion models

Open tool

Repetitive

Repetitive and stereotyped behavior assays for autism-spectrum disorder models.

3 tools

Self-Grooming

Grooming time percentage and mean bout length

Open tool

Marble Burying

Percent marbles at least two-thirds buried

Open tool

Nest Building

Deacon five-point scale, median, and IQR

Open tool

Nociception

Acute and inflammatory pain assays.

5 tools

Von Frey Up-Down

Mechanical 50 percent withdrawal threshold

Open tool

Hot Plate

Mean response latency and cutoff handling

Open tool

Tail Flick

Radiant heat latency

Open tool

Hargreaves

Plantar paw withdrawal and left/right asymmetry

Open tool

Pain Percent Maximum Effect

Percent maximum possible effect for opioid dose-response

Open tool

Cognition

Attention, impulsivity, set-shifting, and operant cognitive paradigms.

3 tools

Operant Session Analyzer

Med-PC parser and AI session QA

Open tool

5-CSRTT

Accuracy, omissions, premature responses, perseveration

Open tool

Attentional Set-Shifting

Trials-to-criterion per stage and set-shifting cost

Open tool

Reward

Drug reward and reinforcement paradigms.

1 tools

Conditioned Place Preference

Delta CPP and post-test preference percentage

Open tool

Operations

Operations tools for running a behavior core.

1 tools

Run a Behavior Core

Battery sequencer, acclimation, IRR, ethogram, SOP

Open tool

When to use

Find rodent behavior calculators by paradigm instead of searching one assay at a time
Plan mouse behavioral phenotyping batteries across anxiety, depression, memory, motor, social, pain, cognition, and reward endpoints
Link from a calculator to the broader behavior-core workflow and relevant apparatus categories

Do not use for

Replacing protocol review, veterinary oversight, or IACUC approval
Claiming automated scoring validity without local video and rater validation

One endpoint can have many confounds

Anxiety-like behavior can be distorted by low locomotion, vision problems, pain, sedation, or poor acclimation. Add controls before interpreting a single index.

Battery order is part of the method

The sequence changes the experiment. Report test order, rest days, lighting, handling, and cleaning so another lab can reproduce the behavioral context.

Manual and automated scoring both need QC

Manual scoring needs blinded raters and reliability checks. Automated scoring needs calibration, tracking-loss rules, and validation against a known video set.

Resources

Primary endpoint and backup endpoint named before data collection
Motor, sensory, or locomotor controls selected where needed
One-trial novelty tests placed before severe stressors
Acclimation and handling schedule written by cohort
Scoring rubric and exclusion rules written before unblinding
Battery order and rest days included in the methods section

Method

The page is generated from a typed paradigm map that lists each behavior tool once, except marble burying where the assay belongs to both anxiety and repetitive behavior. Shipped tools link to their live calculator pages.

Validated

Last validated 2026-04-30. Calculations are designed for planning and documentation support; verify procurement decisions against manufacturer specifications or institutional SOPs.

How to cite

How to Cite

ConductScience Rodent Behavior Tests (v1.0). ConductScience, Inc. 2026. Available at: https://conductscience.com/tools/behavioral-tests

McIlwain KL et al. The use of behavioral test batteries: effects of training history. Brain Research. 2001. doi:10.1016/S0006-8993(01)02655-5

Crawley JN. What's Wrong With My Mouse? Behavioral Phenotyping of Transgenic and Knockout Mice. Wiley-Liss. 2007.

Bailoo JD et al. Refinement of experimental design and conduct in laboratory animal research. ILAR Journal. 2014. doi:10.1093/ilar/ilu037

This page supports assay selection and reporting. Local protocol approval and study design remain the responsibility of the study team.

Choosing a paradigm

A paradigm should map to the hypothesis before it maps to a famous assay name. Elevated plus maze and light-dark box both measure approach-avoidance conflict, but they differ in light level, height, novelty, and locomotor demand. Morris water maze, Barnes maze, Y-maze, and novel object recognition all touch memory, but they ask different questions about spatial learning, working memory, and recognition.

Pair the primary endpoint with a control that can explain false positives. For example, open-field locomotion helps interpret anxiety and depression assays, rotarod helps interpret maze performance, and sensory or motor checks help interpret pain and startle outcomes.

Designing a battery

A good battery protects interpretation. Run handling and acclimation the same way for every cohort. Put baseline exploration and motor checks early. Keep high-stress tests late. Avoid repeating one-shot anxiety assays in a way that turns novelty into learning.

Recommended order is a planning tool, not a universal rule. Strain, sex, age, lighting, apparatus geometry, prior handling, and disease model can all change the right sequence. Write the rationale before data collection starts.

Reporting standards

Report the apparatus, dimensions, lighting, cleaning agent, habituation, trial duration, exclusion rules, scoring method, rater blinding, and statistical plan. For video tracking, report sampling rate, zone definitions, smoothing, threshold values, and any manual corrections.

For multi-test batteries, report the exact order and spacing. A result from an elevated plus maze after fear conditioning is not the same experimental context as elevated plus maze after handling and open field.

Frequently asked

325

Free tools

1,200+

Institutions

100%

Client-side

Uploads required

Next steps

Equipment

Calculator

Anxiety

Elevated Plus Maze

Light-Dark Box

Open Field

Marble Burying

Acoustic Startle

Prepulse Inhibition

Depression

Forced Swim Test

Tail Suspension Test

FST/TST Manual Scorer

Sucrose Preference

Memory

Morris Water Maze

Barnes Maze

Y-Maze Alternation

T-Maze Percent Correct

Radial Arm Maze

Novel Object Recognition

Fear Conditioning

Active/Passive Avoidance

Motor

Rotarod

Pole Test

Beam Walk

Wire Hang

Cylinder Test

Social

Three-Chamber Sociability

Social Interaction

Repetitive

Self-Grooming

Marble Burying

Nest Building

Nociception

Von Frey Up-Down

Hot Plate

Tail Flick

Hargreaves

Pain Percent Maximum Effect

Cognition

Operant Session Analyzer

5-CSRTT

Attentional Set-Shifting

Reward

Conditioned Place Preference

Operations

Run a Behavior Core

One endpoint can have many confounds

Battery order is part of the method

Manual and automated scoring both need QC

Resources

Behavior battery design checklist (PDF)

Method

Validated

How to cite

How to Cite

Choosing a paradigm

Designing a battery

Reporting standards

Frequently asked

Next steps

Run a behavior core

Behavioral Lab

ConductVision

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