What is the Agora Maze?

The Agora Maze implements the SocioBox paradigm — a novel approach to social recognition and novelty preference testing in mice developed by Krueger-Burg et al. (2016). Unlike the classic three-chambered sociability test, which uses two enclosed chambers, the Agora Maze places the test mouse in a central open arena surrounded by five external stimulus chambers on the perimeter. This design allows the focal animal complete freedom of movement in the central space while simultaneously having access to social stimuli from up to five different conspecifics positioned in the outer compartments. The perforated transparent dividers allow full olfactory, visual, and auditory access without direct physical contact, providing a naturalistic social exposure environment.

Key Features

• Five External Stimulus Chambers: Five perimeter chambers allow the focal mouse to encounter up to five conspecifics simultaneously or sequentially, enabling complex social recognition paradigms that go beyond the binary stranger/familiar comparison of the three-chambered test.
• Central Open Arena: The 34 cm diameter central arena gives the focal animal unrestricted freedom of movement, producing more naturalistic social investigation behavior than corridor-based designs.
• Perforated Transparent Dividers: The mesh-type dividers between the arena and stimulus chambers allow full olfactory, visual, and auditory exchange without physical contact — preventing direct social stress while maintaining socially relevant stimulus presentation.
• Magnetic Quick-Change Attachment: Stimulus chambers attach magnetically to the arena wall, allowing rapid repositioning or replacement of chambers between trials without disturbing the test animal — critical for counterbalanced multi-stimulus designs.
• Anti-Glare, High-Contrast Surface: Non-reflective grey construction with anti-glare treatment enables reliable overhead video tracking of all social investigation bouts and trajectory data.