Morris water maze test

How 3 papers set up this test.

AI read these papers and code checked every quote. No person has reviewed the records yet. How records are made

Pool size

Diameter, and depth if given, of the water maze pool

Paper	Value	Paper’s words
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	4 m in diameter	“The maze consisted of a circular stainless-steel tank 4 m in diameter”
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Cited to other work The passage cites this version of the task and then summarizes it briefly with no pool size.	“an extensively validated hippocampus-dependent “place” version of the Morris water maze (Gallagher et al., 1993; Tarbox et al., 2025)”

Not in the Methods of Somebang et al. 2021.

Water temperature

Temperature of the water the animal swims in

Paper	Value	Paper’s words
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Training, probe, and reversal trials room temperature	“filled with room temperature water made opaque with white tempera paint for the training, probe, and reversal trials”
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Cited to other work The passage cites this version of the task and then summarizes it briefly with no water temperature.	“an extensively validated hippocampus-dependent “place” version of the Morris water maze (Gallagher et al., 1993; Tarbox et al., 2025)”

Not in the Methods of Somebang et al. 2021.

Platform size

Diameter or side length of the escape platform

Paper	Value	Paper’s words
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Pretraining phase 10 cm Hidden platform training phase 10 cm	“During the pretraining phase, a 10 cm platform was placed 1 cm below clear water” “During the hidden platform training phase, a 10 cm platform was placed in a fixed location in the maze”
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Cited to other work The passage cites this version of the task and then summarizes it briefly with no platform size.	“an extensively validated hippocampus-dependent “place” version of the Morris water maze (Gallagher et al., 1993; Tarbox et al., 2025)”

Not in the Methods of Somebang et al. 2021.

Platform depth below the surface

How far the escape platform sits below the water surface

Paper	Value	Paper’s words
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Pretraining phase 1 cm Hidden platform training phase 1 cm	“During the pretraining phase, a 10 cm platform was placed 1 cm below clear water” “with the top of the platform hidden beneath 1 cm of water”
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Cited to other work The passage cites this version of the task and then summarizes it briefly with no platform depth.	“an extensively validated hippocampus-dependent “place” version of the Morris water maze (Gallagher et al., 1993; Tarbox et al., 2025)”

Not in the Methods of Somebang et al. 2021.

Trial duration

The fixed or longest length of one trial

Paper	Value	Paper’s words
Somebang et al. 2021Mice	60 s	“The maximum time per trial was 60 s.”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Pretraining phase 60 s Hidden platform training phase 60 s Probe trial 60 s Reversal phase 60 s	“given 60 s to escape onto the visible platform” “The mouse was allowed to search for the platform for 60 s, and, after finding the platform” “the mouse was tested in one 60 s probe trial” “The mouse was allowed to search for the platform for 60 s and, after finding the platform”
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Cited to other work The only time printed for a trial is the first 30 s with the platform inaccessible on probe trials, which is not the length of the trial. That value is in other_settings.	“an extensively validated hippocampus-dependent “place” version of the Morris water maze (Gallagher et al., 1993; Tarbox et al., 2025)”

Number of trials

How many trials an animal gets in one session or day

Paper	Value	Paper’s words
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Sparse training three trials per day	“animals received 8 consecutive days of sparse training (three trials per day)”
Somebang et al. 2021Mice	three trials per session	“three trials per session for two sessions in one day”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Pretraining phase six trials Hidden platform training phase six trials Probe trial one Reversal phase six trials	“throughout six trials in one day” “throughout six trials each day for three consecutive days” “the mouse was tested in one 60 s probe trial” “throughout six trials each day for two consecutive days”

Other settings the papers report (28)

Settings outside the list above, named as each paper names them.

Paper	Setting and value	Paper’s words
Somebang et al. 2021Mice	A handler blinded to the animal group would guide the animal to the platform after 60 s	“If an animal had not located the platform after 60 s, a handler blinded to the animal group would guide the animal to the platform.”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Circle centered on the platform 8 cm diameter	“crossing an 8 cm diameter circle centered on the platform”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Consecutive days, hidden platform training phase three consecutive days	“throughout six trials each day for three consecutive days”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Consecutive days, reversal phase two consecutive days	“throughout six trials each day for two consecutive days”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Day, pretraining phase one day	“throughout six trials in one day”
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Exclusion criteria failure on the nonspatial, cued variant of the water maze	“Exclusion criteria were failure on the nonspatial, cued variant of the water maze”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Experimenters blind to the genotype	“During all behavioral testing, the experimenters were blind to the genotype”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Following the hidden platform training phase, probe trial 24 hr	“24 hr following the hidden platform training phase, the mouse was tested in one 60 s probe trial”
Somebang et al. 2021Mice	Platform a cue on top	“A platform with a cue on top”
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Platform was inaccessible, probe trials first 30 s of the trial	“During the probe trials, the platform was inaccessible for the first 30 s of the trial”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Platform was placed, pretraining phase in the center of a 2-m diameter stainless-steel cylinder	“a 10 cm platform was placed 1 cm below clear water in the center of a 2-m diameter stainless-steel cylinder”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Platform was placed, hidden platform training phase in a fixed location in the maze	“a 10 cm platform was placed in a fixed location in the maze”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Platform was placed, reversal phase in a different quadrant from that used during the training phase	“the hidden platform was placed in the MWM in a different quadrant from that used during the training phase”
Somebang et al. 2021Mice	Post-TBI 4 weeks	“starting at 4 weeks post-TBI”
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Probe trials four	“interspersed with four probe trials across days, one on the last trial every other day”
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Probe trials one on the last trial every other day	“interspersed with four probe trials across days, one on the last trial every other day”
Somebang et al. 2021Mice	Sessions two sessions in one day	“three trials per session for two sessions in one day”
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026Rats	Sparse training 8 consecutive days	“animals received 8 consecutive days of sparse training”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Stainless-steel cylinder, pretraining phase 2-m diameter	“in the center of a 2-m diameter stainless-steel cylinder in the MWM”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Start positions in a semi-random fashion, hidden platform training phase four	“in one of four start positions in a semi-random fashion throughout six trials each day for three consecutive days”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Start positions in a semi-random fashion, reversal phase four	“in one of four start positions in a semi-random fashion throughout six trials each day for two consecutive days”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	The mouse was placed, pretraining phase inside the perimeter of the cylinder	“The mouse was placed inside the perimeter of the cylinder”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	To remain there, hidden platform training phase 15 s	“for 60 s, and, after finding the platform, to remain there for 15 s”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	To remain there, reversal phase 15 s	“for 60 s and, after finding the platform, to remain there for 15 s”
Somebang et al. 2021Mice	Version cued platform	“The cued platform version”
Somebang et al. 2021Mice	Water opaque	“filled with opaque water”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Water, training, probe, and reversal trials opaque with white tempera paint	“water made opaque with white tempera paint for the training, probe, and reversal trials”
Rattner et al. 2020Mice	Water, pretraining phase clear	“placed 1 cm below clear water”

Apparatus

What each paper names for this test. Vendors and models appear as the paper prints them.

Paper	Apparatus	Paper’s words
Dutta Gupta et al. 2026	Hidden escape platform	“to the hidden escape platform”
Somebang et al. 2021	Swimming pool Maze Engineers	“A swimming pool (Maze Engineers)”
Somebang et al. 2021	Ethovision XT13 Noldus, RRID:SCR_000441	“Ethovision XT 13 \| Noldus \| RRID:SCR_000441”
Somebang et al. 2021	Platform with a cue on top	“A platform with a cue on top was placed in opaque water.”
Rattner et al. 2020	White tempera paint	“water made opaque with white tempera paint”
Rattner et al. 2020	Anymaze tracking software Stoelting	“time spent in the platform quadrant were measured using Anymaze tracking software (Stoelting)”
Rattner et al. 2020	Circular stainless-steel tank	“The maze consisted of a circular stainless-steel tank 4 m in diameter”
Rattner et al. 2020	Stainless-steel cylinder	“in the center of a 2-m diameter stainless-steel cylinder in the MWM”
Rattner et al. 2020	Platform	“a 10 cm platform was placed in a fixed location in the maze”