Morris water maze assessment of spatial navigation and relearning in rats
Browse experimental protocolsA rat water-maze procedure using an automated Atlantis platform and distal cues, with a new platform location each day. Preserve the separate platform-found and platform-not-found paths, and record escape latency and swim trajectories across the successive trials.
Scope and method
Sample：Live rats; the original protocol was performed in Wistar rats.
Learning and Memory Assessment
- Wistar ICV-STZ rat
- Age
- 3–4 months of age
- Sex
- Male
- Tissue
- Wistar ICV-STZ rats; the original study used male animals.
- TgF344-AD
- Age
- 4.29–6.52 months of age
- Sex
- Mixed
- Tissue
- TgF344-AD rats; the original study included male and female animals and wild-type controls.
- McGill-R-Thy1-APP
- Age
- 9–11 months of age and 16–19 months of age
- Sex
- Mixed
- Tissue
- McGill-R-Thy1-APP homozygous rats; the original study included male and female animals and WT Wistar controls.
- Sprague-Dawley ICV-STZ rat
- Age
- Adult
- Sex
- Female
- Tissue
- Sprague–Dawley ICV-STZ rats; the original study used adult female animals.
- SD rat MCAO suture model
- Age
- Adult (specific age in weeks not reported by source)
- Tissue
- Brain/Hippocampus (spatial learning and memory)
- transient middle cerebral artery occlusion Wistar rat
- Age
- Adult (specific age in weeks not reported by source)
- Tissue
- Brain/Hippocampus (spatial learning and memory)
- GALT-deficient classic galactosemia model (SD rat)
- Age
- Adult 4-5 months of age
- Sex
- Male
- Tissue
- brain (behavior)
Bill of materials (BOM)
| Step | Material | Role | Amount | Required / optional | Substitution conditions | SKU / specification | Literature product |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place the animal at the selected starting point facing the center of the pool | Towels for drying experimental animals | Dry animals after removal from the water between maze trials, following the warming arrangements in the applicable protocol. The source lists towels as materials for drying animals after removal from the water; material, dimensions and quantity are not reported. | Not reported in the source | Required | Not reported in source | Available for inquiry | Not reported in source |
| Place the animal at the selected starting point facing the center of the pool | Water maze water coloring agent | Pre-colored pool water shading Used for water maze water body coloring, meeting the original protocol's non-toxic requirements. | Amount required to darken the pool water | Required | Not reported in source | Available for inquiry | Not reported in source |
Inquire about the whole BOM
Bulk pricing and availability inquiry
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Procedure
Check camera settings
Check camera settings.
Place the Atlantis automated raising/lowering platform in the pool, check that it moves normally, and prevent waves caused by platform movement
Place the Atlantis automated raising/lowering platform in the pool, check that it moves normally, and prevent waves caused by platform movement.
Place the platform in a different location from the previous day
Place the platform in a different location from the previous day.
The comparison with the previous day's platform location does not apply on the first day of testing
The comparison with the previous day's platform location does not apply on the first day of testing.
Start the Bonsai workflow and confirm video recording at 30 fps
Start the Bonsai workflow and confirm video recording at 30 fps.
Lower the platform so that it is temporarily unavailable to the animal
Lower the platform so that it is temporarily unavailable to the animal.
Place the animal at the selected starting point facing the center of the pool
Place the animal at the selected starting point facing the center of the pool.
Gently place the animal in the water without throwing it or splashing
Gently place the animal in the water without throwing it or splashing.
Start the timer or computer tracking program when the animal is released and the operator leaves the testing area
Start the timer or computer tracking program when the animal is released and the operator leaves the testing area.
After 1 minute, press the button to raise the platform
After 1 minute, press the button to raise the platform.
Stop timing when the animal reaches and contacts the platform; the time limit for this trial is 2 minutes
Choose the matching condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less; Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Stop timing when the animal reaches and contacts the platform; the time limit for this trial is 2 minutes.
Return, remove the animal, and place it in the cage to dry it
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Return, remove the animal, and place it in the cage to dry it.
Begin trial 2 after an interval of 30 minutes
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Begin trial 2 after an interval of 30 minutes.
Raise the platform so that the animal can climb onto it, while keeping it hidden from direct view
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Raise the platform so that the animal can climb onto it, while keeping it hidden from direct view.
Place the animal at the selected starting point facing the center of the pool; randomly select a different starting point for each trial
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Place the animal at the selected starting point facing the center of the pool; randomly select a different starting point for each trial.
Gently place the animal in the water without throwing it or splashing
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Gently place the animal in the water without throwing it or splashing.
Start the timer or computer tracking program when the animal is released and the operator leaves the testing area
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Start the timer or computer tracking program when the animal is released and the operator leaves the testing area.
Stop timing when the animal reaches and contacts the platform or after 1 minute
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Choose the matching condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in 1 minute or less; Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 1 minute Stop timing when the animal reaches and contacts the platform or after 1 minute.
Return, remove the animal, and place it in the cage to dry it
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in 1 minute or less Return, remove the animal, and place it in the cage to dry it.
Conduct the next trial after an interval of 5 minutes
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in 1 minute or less Conduct the next trial after an interval of 5 minutes.
Place the rat on the platform
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 1 minute Place the rat on the platform.
Leave the testing area
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 1 minute Leave the testing area.
Wait 10 seconds
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 1 minute Wait 10 seconds.
Return, remove the animal, and place it in the cage to dry it and wait
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 1 minute Return, remove the animal, and place it in the cage to dry it and wait.
Conduct the next trial after an interval of 5 minutes
Condition: Platform — Rats will find the platform. They will do this in two minutes or less Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 1 minute Conduct the next trial after an interval of 5 minutes.
Place the rat on the platform
Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Place the rat on the platform.
Leave the testing area
Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Leave the testing area.
Wait 10 seconds
Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Wait 10 seconds.
Return, remove the animal, and place it in the cage to dry it and wait
Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Return, remove the animal, and place it in the cage to dry it and wait.
Begin trial 2 after an interval of 30 minutes
Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Begin trial 2 after an interval of 30 minutes.
Raise the platform so that the animal can climb onto it, while keeping it hidden from direct view
Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Raise the platform so that the animal can climb onto it, while keeping it hidden from direct view.
Place the animal at the selected starting point facing the center of the pool; use a different starting point for each trial
Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Place the animal at the selected starting point facing the center of the pool; use a different starting point for each trial.
Gently place the animal in the water without throwing it or splashing
Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Gently place the animal in the water without throwing it or splashing.
Start the timer or computer tracking program when the animal is released and the operator leaves the testing area
Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Start the timer or computer tracking program when the animal is released and the operator leaves the testing area.
Stop timing when the animal reaches and contacts the platform; the time limit for this trial is 1 minute
Condition: Not platform — If the rat does not find the platform within 2 minutes. Stop timing when the animal reaches and contacts the platform; the time limit for this trial is 1 minute.
Quality control and readouts
Arrange distal visual cues before starting and check camera focus and lighting. The pool is 180 cm in diameter and 60 cm deep, with the water surface 10 cm below the rim; the platform is 1.5 cm below the water surface. During preparation, heat the water to 22°C; maintain it at 19–22°C during testing and add a non-toxic colorant to darken it. Provide towels and a heat lamp in the warming box. The lamp must not cover the entire box, allowing animals to move away from the warm area. Keep waiting and handling times consistent between trials and reduce reflections on the water surface.
Record escape latency and swimming trajectories in each navigation trial and compare spatial navigation performance across successive trials. Follow the corresponding conditional path when an animal reaches the platform or fails to reach it within the time limit.
References
- Maroto AS, Ugarte Perez E, Cerdán Cerdá A, De Santis S. Morris Water Maze. protocols.io, published 2026-03-26, v1. DOI:10.17504/protocols.io.e6nvwn832vmk/v1. · DOI: 10.17504/protocols.io.e6nvwn832vmk/v1
- Early Neuroprotective Effects of Erucic Acid and Gentisic Acid on Hippocampal Glutamate Concentrations and Alzheimer-like Molecular Alterations in an Intracerebroventricular Streptozotocin Rat Model. PMID:42797438; DOI:10.3390/ph19091392. Model/assay applicability; not exact replication of the separate protocols.io procedure. · DOI: 10.3390/ph19091392
- Multimodal Imaging in Rat Model Recapitulates Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers Abnormalities. PMID:29097597; DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1346-17.2017. Model/assay applicability; not exact replication of the separate protocols.io procedure. · DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1346-17.2017
- Anxiety-like behavior as an early endophenotype in the TgF344-AD rat model of Alzheimer’s disease.. PMID:29107184; DOI:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.09.024. Model/assay applicability; not exact replication of the separate protocols.io procedure. · DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.09.024
- Schisandrin ameliorates cognitive deficits, endoplasmic reticulum stress and neuroinflammation in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced Alzheimer’s disease rats. PMID:32336744; DOI:10.1538/expanim.19-0146. Model/assay applicability; not exact replication of the separate protocols.io procedure. · DOI: 10.1538/expanim.19-0146