Protocol to build open-source Discrimin8 maze to study discrimination of reward-context associations in mice during open-field foraging.

Gergely Tarcsay, Laura A Ewell

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in STAR protocols, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Gergely TarcsayAnatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA. Electronic address: tarcsay.gergely@gmail.com.

Laura A EwellAnatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Neurobiology of Brain and Behavior, Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Center for Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA. Electronic address: lewell@hs.uci.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The hippocampus is known to process context-specific memories. We provide a protocol for studying context discrimination in mice utilizing the open-source Discrimin8 maze. We describe the steps for building the maze and using custom-written codes implementing the task. Finally, instructions are provided to train mice on the task. This protocol implements a low-cost, automated maze allowing for investigation of context discrimination in freely moving mice. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Tarcsay et al.

Indexed as

Maze LearningRewardAnimalsHippocampusMemoryMicebehaviorcomputer sciencesneuroscience

Identifiers

PMID41790546

DOI10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104415

PMCPMC12969727

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.