Equipment designed to perform Barnes maze experiments in rodents (rat and mouse).

To begin the test, the animal is placed on top of the Barnes maze platform, a brightly lit environment consisting of a fixed number of holes around its periphery. In such an open environment, rodents naturally seek a dark enclosed environment, which is provided in the form of a dark box (goal box) under one of the round holes around the perimeter of the platform. The amount of time required for the animal to locate the target box is measured using visuo-spatial cues surrounding the periphery of the maze.

Unlike the Radial maze and Watermaze test, the Barnes maze does not require dietary restrictions or swimming stress, making it a useful alternative for behaviourally phenotyping genetically modified animals.