Source Paper
Synaptic changes contribute to persistent extra-motor behaviour deficits in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Luan W, San Gil R, Madrid San Martin L, Cao MC, Vassallu F et al.
Acta Neuropathol Commun • 2025
Y-maze Test
Objective: Assessment of spatial working memory through spontaneous alternation behavior
Gather these items before starting the experiment. Check off items as you prepare.
2 items available from ConductScience
Estimated: $9,800.00
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Product links help support this free resource.
Protocol Steps
Setup maze configuration
Position the Y-maze arms at 120° angles to each other in a room with visual cues
View evidence from paper
“placed at 120º angles to each other was used and placed in a room with clues to allow for visual orientation”
Set illumination conditions
Maintain room illumination at 30 lux
View evidence from paper
“with illumination 30 lx as previously described”
Place mouse in starting position
Position each mouse at the end of one arm facing toward the center of the maze
View evidence from paper
“Each mouse was placed at the end of one arm facing the centre”
Allow free exploration
Let the mouse explore the maze freely for 8 minutes without any training or reward while experimenter remains hidden
View evidence from paper
“allowed to explore the maze freely for 8 min without training, or reward, while the experimenter remained out of sight”
Record and analyze behavior
Calculate spontaneous alternation percentage and total arm entries, excluding mice with fewer than 12 entries
View evidence from paper
“percentage of spontaneous alternation was defined as the number of actual alternations divided by the possible alternations [(# alternations)/(total arm entries − 2) × 100]”
Apply exclusion criteria
Exclude mice with total entries below 12 from analysis
View evidence from paper
“mice with scores below 12 were excluded as previously outlined”