The zero maze test is used to evaluate anziety in rats and mice, but it is also often used in behavioral phenotyping. No matter what the aim of your research is, EthoVision XT will help you out!

• Calculate a wide range of anxiety-related parameters automatically, such as the percentage of time spent in the open quadrants.
• Detect and analyze body elongation and immobility as measures of fear. 
• Analyze behavior in relation to zones, such as the percentage of time spent elongated in a specific quadrant.
• No additional set-up or arena definition time in between tests; the rigid elevated stand and stable camera gantry guarantee a fixed position of camera and maze.
• Effortlessly track animals with different fur markings in sequence or track animals in darkness.

Introduction
The zero maze test is often used to evaluate anxiety in rats and mice. In this test, the animal is placed on an elevated annular platform and can choose between staying on a wall-sheltered (closed) segment or explore an open segment. Less anxious animals spend more time on the open segment than more anxious animals, that prefer the darker closed-off segment. In addition to investigating anxiety-related effects of novel drugs and compounds such as alcohol, the test is also used for behavioral phenotyping.

We provide you with the software, hardware, and services you need to create a perfect solution for the zero maze test. EthoVision® XT, the heart of this solution, tracks your animal, measures important parameters, and calculates statistics. The zero mazes we supply create the perfect conditions for EthoVision XT to track your mice or rats.

How it works
A video camera positioned above the elevated zero maze captures images of your animal in the maze. It either sends the images directly to the computer running EthoVision XT, for live acquisition of tracking data, or you can choose to record the video and acquire the data later. You can also combine both methods. The software tracks the animal’s path and measures, and analyzes a number of useful parameters. Once the trials are completed, there are several possibilities to select the data you want to visualize or analyze.

The zero maze is equally divided into four quadrants. Two quadrants on opposite sites are enclosed by walls, the other two quadrants are open. With Etho- Vision XT you can define these quadrants, for easy and intuitive data selection and analysis.
Traditionally, the animal is placed in a closed quadrant at the start of the trial. You can instruct Etho- Vision XT to automatically start tracking as soon as the animal is introduced into this quadrant. Conversely, tracking can stop automatically as soon as the animal spends a defined period of time in a particular quadrant. There is no need to manually start and stop your trials!

Less anxious animals tend to spend more time in open segments. Therefore, the most important parameter in the zero maze test is the percentage of time spent in the open quadrants. And while the open quadrants are not positioned directly next to each other, EthoVision XT allows you to define cumulative zones, treating the open quadrants as if they are one zone. This enables easy analysis of parameters related to the open quadrants.

Another interesting variable is the number of entries into any of the quadrants. By detecting the nose point and tail base of your mouse or rat, the analysis of this parameter will become even more accurate.

Other important parameters EthoVision XT offers are the time spent immobile and the time spent elongated. The elongation of the animal’s body characterizes the stretch attend posture, a behavior that is often considered a measure of anxiousness.

Immobility also serves as a measure of fear or anxiousness. Set the threshold levels yourself, then use the integrated visualization to view the video, the animal’s path, and these parameter values in one synchronized, dynamic view, to get an immediate feel for your data.