Spatial Working Memory (Eight Arm Radial Arm Maze)

Description

In the Radial Arm Maze test, a rodent is placed in the center of a maze. At the end of each arm are food pellets. To successfully complete the task, the rodent must enter each arm and retrieve the food pellets and use spatial cues in the room to remember which arms of the maze it has previously explored to avoid re-entering the same arms. Both 8 and 12 arm versions of the task are used. A computer operated 8 arm radial maze routinely used at the SABC facility is depicted. 

Purpose

The radial arm maze task is used to assess spatial working memory and reference memory.