Successive Alleys Test
Successive Alleys Test - Related Videos
05:05
The Successive Alleys Test of Anxiety in Mice and Rats
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Cited by 49 •
2013
The plus-maze measures anxiety-like behaviour in rodents. There are two opposite closed and two opposite open arms; anxious rodents avoid the open arms. The central area is neither completely open nor closed, so time spent here is ambiguous and difficult to interpret. Here a modification of the plus-maze protocol eliminating this area is described.
02:17
Ecological Succession
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2026
Ecological succession is influenced by the processes of facilitation, inhibition, and toleration. Facilitation occurs when early successional species create more favorable ecological conditions for subsequent species, such as enhanced nutrient, water, or light availability. In contrast, inhibition happens when early successional species create unfavorable ecological conditions for potential successive species, such as limiting resource availability. In some cases, later successional species...
12:24
Improving the Success Rate of Protein Crystallization by Random Microseed Matrix Screening
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Cited by 20 •
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Here we describe a general method for random microseed matrix screening. This technique is shown to significantly increase the success rate of protein crystallization screening experiments, reduce the need for optimization, and provide a reliable supply of crystals for data collection and ligand-soaking experiments.
06:49
Reduced Itraconazole Concentration and Durations Are Successful in Treating Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection in Amphibians
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Cited by 18 •
2014
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in amphibians can be eliminated using a reduced concentration (0.0025%) and shorter duration (five minute baths for six days) of itraconazole than is generally used. Less mortality and fewer negative side effects were observed using this modified treatment protocol.
08:37
Setting a Successful Sorting for Extracellular Vesicle Isolation
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Cited by 2 •
2024
This protocol provides a detailed description of sorting extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by mesenchymal stromal cells. In particular, it focuses on the instrument setting and the optimization of the sorting conditions. The goal is to sort extracellular vesicles while preserving their characteristics.
FAQs
Progressive narrowing and changing enclosure increase the conflict between exploration and avoidance as the animal advances. This graded challenge allows behavior to be examined across multiple levels of perceived risk rather than reduced to one binary decision. Differences in latency, time allocation, or entry frequency across alleys can therefore indicate how risk assessment changes with environmental demands.
These measures capture different aspects of responding. Latency indicates how quickly an animal commits to entering a successive alley, time spent shows where it allocates behavior, and entries reflect repeated willingness to approach or explore. Interpreting them together is more informative than treating one value as a complete anxiety measure, because they describe complementary features of risk-related behavior.
An open-versus-closed arrangement presents a single contrast, whereas successive alleys create a series of progressively changing challenges. The resulting behavioral profile can show whether responses vary gradually or sharply as width and exposure change. This helps distinguish broad differences in exploratory or avoidance behavior from patterns tied to a particular level of environmental risk.
Treatment comparisons are interpreted through changes in the behavioral profile across the alley sequence. An anxiolytic or anxiogenic manipulation may alter latency, time spent, or entry patterns, so investigators can examine both overall responding and where along the graded challenge the difference emerges. This approach supports evaluation of treatment effects without reducing the result to a single behavioral observation.
The key environmental features are the connected alley sequence, progressively decreasing widths, and differences in enclosure or exposure. Together, these properties establish the graded challenge that the animal encounters. Their combination creates changing demands on exploration and avoidance, allowing behavioral responses to be evaluated at several points rather than under only one environmental condition.
In psychology research, investigators use the assay to compare anxiety-related phenotypes across rodents or experimental groups and to examine responses to anxiolytic or anxiogenic treatments. The measures collected from each alley provide a behavioral profile rather than a single score, allowing comparisons of exploratory behavior, avoidance, and risk assessment across the graded environment.