Open Field (animal test)
Encyclopedia
The Open Field Test is an experiment used to assay general locomotor activity levels and anxiety in rodents in scientific research.
to test emotionality of rodents. The open field test (OFT) is a commonly used qualitative
and quantitative
measure of general locomotor activity and willingness to explore in rodents. The open field is a table that may have surrounding walls to prevent escape. Commonly the field is marked in a grid and square crossings, rearing, and time spent moving are used to assess the activity of the rodent. In modern open field apparatus infrared beams can be used to automate the assessment process. The OFT is also often used to assess anxiety
by including additional measures of: defecation, time spent in the center if the field, and the first five minutes of activity.
The relation between the OFT and other tests of exploratory activity (elevated plus maze
and emergence) have been analyzed in two mouse strains. Changes in these measures are often used to assess the sedative or stimulant effects of pharmacological agents. This basic behavioral assessment is used in almost every study involving rodent behavior.
Newer attempts has been to analyse the OFT by quantifying the animal's moment-by-moment developmental dynamics. A recent study was able to show that mouse exploratory behavior consists of sequences of repeated motion: iterative processes that increase in extent and complexity, whose presumed function is a systematic active management of input acquired during the exploration of a novel environment.
Experimental Design
Developed by Calvin S. HallCalvin S. Hall
Calvin S. Hall is an American psychologist who studied in the field of dream interpretation and analysis. He began his systematic research on dreams in the 1940s, and from there he wrote many books, “The Primer of Freudian Psychology” and “The Primer of Jungian Psychology” being the most...
to test emotionality of rodents. The open field test (OFT) is a commonly used qualitative
Qualitative research
Qualitative research is a method of inquiry employed in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and further contexts. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such...
and quantitative
Quantitative research
In the social sciences, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to...
measure of general locomotor activity and willingness to explore in rodents. The open field is a table that may have surrounding walls to prevent escape. Commonly the field is marked in a grid and square crossings, rearing, and time spent moving are used to assess the activity of the rodent. In modern open field apparatus infrared beams can be used to automate the assessment process. The OFT is also often used to assess anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
by including additional measures of: defecation, time spent in the center if the field, and the first five minutes of activity.
The relation between the OFT and other tests of exploratory activity (elevated plus maze
Elevated plus maze
The elevated plus maze is a rodent model of anxiety that is used as a screening test for putative anxiolytic or anxiogenic compounds and as a general research tool in neurobiological anxiety research.-Method:...
and emergence) have been analyzed in two mouse strains. Changes in these measures are often used to assess the sedative or stimulant effects of pharmacological agents. This basic behavioral assessment is used in almost every study involving rodent behavior.
Newer attempts has been to analyse the OFT by quantifying the animal's moment-by-moment developmental dynamics. A recent study was able to show that mouse exploratory behavior consists of sequences of repeated motion: iterative processes that increase in extent and complexity, whose presumed function is a systematic active management of input acquired during the exploration of a novel environment.