Satellite Box Exploration in the Intellicage

The Intellicage is an automated testing chamber used to test cognitive cognitive ability in socially housed mice. By attaching a satellite box to the chamber, an experimenter can also study exploratory behavior in a novel environment. The satellite box is attached to the chamber prior to placing mice in the Intellicage. The entrance to the satellite is blocked off. The mice are given a period of time to habituate to the Intellicage and access to water from all four corners. The entrance to the satellite box is then opened and mice are allowed to enter and explore it. The latency to first entrance and the frequency of entrances is recorded.