These attributes have led to wide-spread use of the open field maze in research extended to other animal species such as calves, pigs, rabbits, primates, honeybees and lobsters 3. It provides an easy and fairly rapid assessment of well-defined behaviors requiring no training to the test subject and little to no specialized training for the human administering the test. It has attained the status of being one of the most widely used measures of behavior in animal psychology 2. The Open Field Maze (OFM) was initially developed in 1934 as a test to measure emotionality in rodents 1. Briefly, using the described protocol we show Wild Type mice exhibited significantly less anxiety related behaviors than did age-matched Knock Out mice while both strains exhibited similar ambulatory ability. Here, a protocol for use of the open field maze to describe mouse behaviors is detailed and a simple analysis of general locomotor ability and anxiety-related emotional behaviors between two strains of C57BL/6 mice is performed. The technique also readily lends itself to the investigation of different pharmacological compounds for anxiolytic or anxiogenic effects. As it relates to rodent models, the procedure allows the study of different strains of mice or rats both laboratory bred and wild-captured. It is a fast and relatively easy test that provides a variety of behavioral information ranging from general ambulatory ability to data regarding the emotionality of the subject animal. The Open Field Maze is one of the most commonly used platforms to measure behaviors in animal models. Animal models have proven to be invaluable to researchers trying to answer questions regarding the mechanisms of behavior.
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