Center for Injury Biomechanics, Materials, and Medicine

Elevated Plus Maze 

The Elevated plus maze is another maze used to test anxiety levels in laboratory rodents. The rodent’s aversion to moving in the un-enclosed spaces is used to measure the anxiety levels of the rodent. 

Elevated Zero Maze

The Elevated zero maze is used to asses anxiety-like behavior in rodents. Anxiety-related behavior is measured by the degree to which the rodent avoids the unenclosed areas of the maze 

The Elevated Zero Maze (EZM)  and Elevated plus maze (EPM)  are used to text anxiety based on the general aversion of rodents to open spaces.  The elevated zero maze (EZM) is an elevated circular runway with alternating open light areas and enclosed dark areas. The continuous nature of this apparatus eliminates the problem of the EPM in how to account for the animal's presence in the center area of the EPM. The test uses an elevated, plus-shaped (+) apparatus with two open and two enclosed arms. Anxiety indicated by an increase in the proportion of time spent in the closed spaces as opposed that spent in the open spaces.