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Automation of the Barnes maze requires reliable head tracking, an ability to cope with moveable zones and an easy way to end the test when the animal 'escapes'
ANY-maze fulfils all of these requirements and more - you'll find full details on the Benefits tab below.
On the other tabs you'll find videos of Barnes maze tests, recommended equipment and a list of results that are especially useful in this test.
Head tracking
If you’re interested in determining how much the animal investigates the holes in the Barnes maze, then reliable head tracking is vital as the animal will typically only put its head into the hole.
The video on the right shows this in action, with ANY-maze accurately determining exactly when the animal is exploring the holes.
Ending the test when the animal 'escapes'
When the animal enters the escape hole it will disappear from the camera’s view. In ANY-maze you can define a hidden zone, which is where the software will consider the animal to be if it can’t find it anywhere else. So, to end the test when the animal escapes, you simply need to tell ANY-maze to wait until the animal enters this hidden zone – as the procedure on the right does.
Viewing the animal's track
ANY-maze can plot the track the animal’s head took around the maze, which provides a great visual tool for both confirming the holes visited and for contrasting the behaviour of different animals.
Running multiple tests simultaneously
Running multiple Barnes mazes simultaneously is a great way to speed up the throughput in an experiment.
- Setting up multiple mazes is hardly any more work than setting up one, as most settings are automatically applied across all the apparatus.
- Tests in all the apparatus can be run independently, or you can control them together if you prefer.
Results
ANY-maze can provide literally hundreds of results for any test, but some of those that are commonly used in the Barnes maze include:
- Test duration (the test ends when the animal escapes)
- Latency to first visit to the escape hole
- Number of visits to non-escape holes
- Time investigating escape hole
- Time investigating non-escape holes
- Total distance travelled
Simultaneously tracking in four Barnes mazes
In this example ANY-maze is simultaneously tracking mice in four Barnes mazes. Note the thumbnails on the left, which you can use to select which apparatus are displayed – this is great when you want to focus on a specific test (note that the other tests continue be tracked, they’re just not displayed).
Mazes
We manufacture our own Barnes mazes, both for Rat and Mouse. The maze has a grey, non-reflective platform with 20 holes.
The legs can be detached which means the maze can be stored flat when not in use.
Cameras
USB Camera
The ANY-maze USB camera is an excellent choice for the Barnes maze. We recommend fitting this camera with a varifocal (zoom) lens, so you can simply mount the camera on the ceiling and then zoom in and out until the maze nicely fits the camera's view.
View more
Web cam
A webcam is usually a good, and inexpensive, alternative choice for the Barnes maze. If you intend to test in normal lighting conditions (>= 100 lux) and you can mount the camera far enough from the maze for it to see it all, then a webcam should work well.
Accessories
ANY‑maze Radio remote control
The ANY‑maze Radio remote control provides a convenient way to start the test as soon as the animal is in the maze. This remote works through walls and has 2 buttons, allowing you to control two apparatus independently.
View more
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