Animal Behavior Tracking

Animal Behavior Tracking

Mazes, objects and memory

Finding a place

The Morris water maze, the Barnes maze and the dry water maze all ask an animal to find a goal using cues around the room. Tracking gives you latency, path, heading, proximity and strategy.

Noticing something new

Rodents can't resist a novelty. In novel object recognition, a familiar object is swapped for a new one; in object placement, one is simply moved. A discrimination index sums up the preference.

Remembering the last choice

Alternation in the T-maze and Y-maze, and the radial arm maze, test memory for recent decisions.

Mouse or rat?

They swim differently, worry differently and explore differently, and that should shape which test you choose.

Further reading