The use of the elevated plus maze as an assay of anxiety-related behavior in rodents

Abstract

The elevated plus maze is a widely used behavioral assay for rodents and it has been validated to assess the anti-anxiety effects of pharmacological agents and steroid hormones, and to define brain regions and mechanisms underlying anxiety-related behavior. Briefly, rats or mice are placed at the junction of the four arms of the maze, facing an open arm, and entries/duration in each arm are recorded by a video-tracking system and observer simultaneously for 5 min. Other ethological parameters (i.e., rears, head dips and stretched-attend postures) can also be observed. An increase in open arm activity (duration and/or entries) reflects anti-anxiety behavior. In our laboratory, rats or mice are exposed to the plus maze on one occasion; thus, results can be obtained in 5 min per rodent.

Figure 1

Picture of the elevated plus maze used for testing rats. The elevated plus maze is placed on the floor on a movable platform with casters. Note: The elevated plus maze that we use with mice is similar, but has smaller dimensions and does not have a movable platform.