Y-Maze

The Y-Maze is a behavioral test used to assess memory function and the willingness of rodents to explore new environments. The Y-Maze is particularly useful in measuring cognitive deficits in transgenic mice, assessing hippocampal damage and evaluating the effects of drugs on cognition. The test apparatus used is a Y-shaped maze with three identical arms at a 120° angle from each other. Gradual turns of the Y-Maze decrease learning time as compared to the sharp turns of the T-maze. The animal is placed in the centre of the Y maze, and the total number of individual arm entries as well as the sequence of entries are recorded. As mice and rats typically prefer to explore a new arm of the maze rather than returning to one that was previously visited, the data is analyzed to determine the number of arm entries without repetition. Normal (control) animals will reflect a high rate of alternation which indicates that the animal can remember which arm was entered last. The Y-Maze can also be used for the recognition memory test to determine whether a rat or mouse prefers to spend time in a novel or known area. To test this, one arm of the Y-Maze is blocked off and the rat is allowed to investigate the other two arms. The animal's memory function is tested when the blocked arm is uncovered and monitored for preference to spend time in the new arm or the known arms.

Analysing Y-Maze experiments using Actual products is easy, and ActualTrack: Rodent Edition is designed specifically for analysing rodent behavior. An animal in the Y-Maze set-up is monitored with a video camera mounted above the experimental arena which is connected to a computer to record a video file. ActualTrack: Rodent Edition software analyses the video file and utilises three-point animal tracking (head, centre of mass, and tail base) to identify the animal within the Y-Maze and determine its position. Using ActualTrack: Rodent Edition you can define regions for each of the arms, and accurately and automatically monitor entry of the animal in to any defined region within the Y-Maze based on the location of its head, centre of mass, and tail base (or any combination thereof). With ActualTrack: Rodent Edition, the locomotor activity within an Y-Maze is also easily assessed and quantified in any user-defined region within the arena.

What you need to perform Y-Maze experiments using ActualTrack: Rodent Edition:

- Digital Camera: from standard digital video camera to professional digital High Definition cameras (to enhance resolution of very small animals or large arenas) ActualTrack: Rodent Edition can work with almost any common video format. See our recommended camera list for the most appropriate camera for your set-up.

- ActualCapture Software (optional) - enables easy direct recording of your experiment to a digital video file. This is recommended when you do not already have a camera and recording software. If you would like us to arrange and supply recording set-up, please contact us.

- Lighting: diffuse lighting from directly above or below, or infrared (IR) lighting for recording during the dark.

- Y-Maze Arena

- A computer with a web browser and web access (see requirements for details).

- ActualTrack: Rodent Edition software

Our tracking, scoring and video capture software can be easily optimised to a broad range of hardware and experimental set-ups to ensure the best possible conditions for your video analysis. If required, please contact us for recommendations and a list of preferred suppliers of hardware.

What you can analyse in a Y-Maze with ActualTrack: Rodent Edition:

- Locomotor results: Distance moved (cm), Average Speed (cm / s), Locomotor results for each zone

- Zone results based on animal location: Time spent in each arm [s], Time spent in each arm [%], Latency to each first arm entry [s], Number of visits to each arm [n], Number of visits to each arm [%], First arm visited, order of arm visits

- Visualisations: Birds nest plot, heat map

- ActualScore functionality allows for integrated manual coding user defined behaviors

- All results are calculated automatically and provided in an easy to use CSV format which can be imported in to most statistical analysis packages for further investigation and graphical representation

- and much more...

For more information, see the product information, or get in touch to find out more about how ActualTrack: Rodent Edition could help you achieve the results you need.