Principles & Methods Of Radial Arm Maze, Y Maze & Plethysmometer

Radial Arm Maze :

The Radial Arm Maze was designed by Olton and Samuelson in 1976 to measure spatial learning and memory in rats.

A behavioral test called the radial arm maze (RAM) is used to measure the spatial learning and memory of small animals like rats and mice. The RAM is often composed of acrylic material and has a central platform with many arms spreading out from it.

The animal is normally placed on the central platform and allowed to explore the maze during the test. After tracking the animal's movements, various metrics, including the number of arm entries, the amount of time spent in each arm, and the number of mistakes made, can be used to gauge the animal's capacity for spatial learning and memory. By relocating the reward in the arms, the test can also be used to gauge working memory.

Radial arm maze method -

Rodents (mice or rats) are placed in the center compartment and allowed to explore the arms in search of this reward. Throughout an experiment, the animal must remember which arms have been visited in order to ensure that they do not repeatedly enter arms which do not contain a food reward.

The animal must remember the decisions they have already made because the maze's architecture mandates that they return to the center between each arm visit and are consequently given the same 8 possibilities every time. In this way, the radial arm maze measures two forms of memory known as "reference memory" and "working memory.

Y Maze :

Y Maze Spontaneous Alternation is a behavioral test for measuring the willingness of rodents to explore new environments.

The Y maze is frequently used in preclinical research to evaluate behavioral tasks for examining spatial learning and memory. Spontaneous alternation testing and recognition memory tests are two examples of Y maze tests in use. It has been demonstrated that these tests are sensitive to amnestic medications, gene modifications, and hippocampus injury. These Y maze paradigms are used by Creative Biolabs to test memory function in mice or assess the impact of novel medications on cognition.

Y Maze Spontaneous Alternation Test -

Y Maze Spontaneous Alternation is a behavioral test for measuring the willingness of rodents to explore new environments. Most of the time, rodents will rather explore a new arm of the maze than go back to one they have already explored. The hippocampus, septum, basal forebrain, and prefrontal cortex are only a few of the regions of the brain that are engaged in this job.

Testing takes place in a Y-shaped maze with three arms made of white, opaque plastic that are 120 degrees apart from one another. The animal is given access to the three arms of the maze after being shown the center of the maze. Throughout multiple arm entries, the subject should show a tendency to enter a less recently visited arm.

The number of arm entries and the number of triads are recorded to calculate the percentage of an alternation. An entry occurs when all four limbs are within the arm. This test is used to quantify cognitive deficits in transgenic strains of mice and evaluate novel chemical entities for their effects on cognition.

Plethysmometer :

A Plethysmometer is a valuable piece of equipment used to measure the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory agents that are experimentally induced in rodents. It can also be used to test agents designed to reduce endemic conditions.

The Digital Plethysmometer is a valuable tool for detecting inflammation by tracking changes in tiny paw volume. When a rat or mouse paw is inserted into the apparatus, it monitors minute volume changes brought on by water displacement.

Principle of digital plethysmometer -

The Plethysmometer Control Unit detects the conductance changes and generates an output signal to the digital display indicating the volume displacement measured. The current value remains in the digital display until a new trial starts.

The Plethysmometer (Paw Edema) test serves to measure the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory agents to reduce edemic conditions. In use, the paw is inserted into water, contained in a special water cell of which the resistance is changed due to the immersion of the animal's paw.

Pharmaceutical instruments which are mostly sed in food and many other industries.