Porter Blake S, Olson Jacob M, Leppla Christopher A, Duvelle Éléonore, Bladon John H, van der Meer Matthijs A A, Jadhav Shantanu P
Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, and Volen National Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453
Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, and Volen National Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453.
eNeuro. 2025 Jul 8;12(7). doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0138-25.2025. Print 2025 Jul.
Mazes are a fundamental and widespread tool in behavior and systems neuroscience research in rodents, especially in spatial navigation and spatial memory investigations in behaving animals. However, their form and inflexibility often restrict potential experimental paradigms that involve multiple or adaptive maze designs. Unique layouts often lead to elevated costs, whether financially or in terms of time investment from scientists. To alleviate these issues, we have developed an automated, modular maze system that is flexible and scalable. This open-source Adapt-A-Maze (AAM) system will allow for experiments with multiple track configurations in rapid succession. Additionally, the flexibility can expedite prototyping of behavioral paradigms. Automation ensures less variability in experimental parameters and higher throughput. Finally, the standardized componentry enhances experimental repeatability within labs and replicability across labs. Our maze was successfully used across labs, in multiple experimental designs, with and without extracellular or optical recordings, in rats. The AAM system presents multiple advantages over current maze options and can facilitate novel behavior and systems neuroscience research.
迷宫是啮齿动物行为和系统神经科学研究中一种基本且广泛使用的工具，尤其在对行为动物的空间导航和空间记忆研究中。然而，它们的形式和固定性常常限制了涉及多种或适应性迷宫设计的潜在实验范式。独特的布局往往导致成本增加，无论是在经济方面还是在科学家投入的时间方面。为了缓解这些问题，我们开发了一种自动化、模块化的迷宫系统，该系统灵活且可扩展。这个开源的自适应迷宫（AAM）系统将允许快速连续地进行多种轨道配置的实验。此外，其灵活性可以加快行为范式的原型设计。自动化确保实验参数的变异性更小且通量更高。最后，标准化的组件提高了实验室内部的实验可重复性以及跨实验室的可复制性。我们的迷宫在多个实验室中成功应用于多种实验设计，包括有无细胞外或光学记录的情况，实验对象为大鼠。与当前的迷宫选项相比，AAM系统具有多个优势，并且可以促进新的行为和系统神经科学研究。
