Experiments/Open Field Locomotor Activity Test

Source Paper

Running is the neurogenic and neurotrophic stimulus in environmental enrichment

Tali Kobilo, Qing-Rong Liu, Kriti Gandhi, Mohammed Mughal, Yavin Shaham et al.

Learning & Memory • 2011

DOI PMC

Open Field Locomotor Activity Test

behavioralmouseC57Bl/6

Objective: Measure locomotor activity in an open field to assess exploratory behavior and adaptation across different housing conditions (control, running, enrichment, or enrichment plus running)

This is a Open Field Locomotor Activity Test protocol using mouse as the model organism. The procedure involves 6 procedural steps, 1 equipment items, 1 materials. Extracted from a 2011 paper published in Learning & Memory.

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Replication Essentials

Model and subjects

mouse • C57Bl/6 • female • young

Study window

~1.7 week study window

Core workflow

Housing assignment • BrdU injection • Cell genesis assessment

Primary readouts

Locomotor activity in open field
Open-field adaptation
New cell proliferation
Cell survival

Key equipment and reagents

Open field apparatusBromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)

Before You Start

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Protocol Steps

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Housing assignment

Young female C57Bl/6 mice were assigned to one of four housing conditions: control, running, enrichment, or enrichment plus running

Note: Four distinct housing conditions were used to dissociate effects of physical activity and enrichment

View evidence from paper

“young female C57Bl/6 mice were housed under control, running, enrichment, or enrichment plus running conditions”

BrdU injection

Mice were injected with bromodeoxyuridine to label newly generated cells for subsequent analysis

Note: BrdU serves as a marker for cell proliferation

View evidence from paper

“young female C57Bl/6 mice were housed under control, running, enrichment, or enrichment plus running conditions, and injected with bromodeoxyuridine”

Cell genesis assessment

Cell genesis was assessed after 12 days of housing in assigned conditions

12 days

Note: This timepoint measures acute cell proliferation

View evidence from paper

“Cell genesis was assessed after 12 d and differentiation was analyzed 1 mo later”

Differentiation analysis

Cell differentiation was analyzed 1 month after initial housing assignment

1 month

Note: This later timepoint measures cell survival and differentiation into neurons

View evidence from paper

“Cell genesis was assessed after 12 d and differentiation was analyzed 1 mo later”