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Solutions for Behavioural Research
PhenoTyper
Overview
The PhenoTyper is an observation home-cage system completely optimised for video tracking, where rodent behaviour is automatically monitored. Activity and movement are continuously measured and analysed using EthoVision XT. PhenoTyper can be configured to suit the behavioural test required.
How it Works
- Design the PhenoTyper home cage to suit your research
- Design experiment(s) to include manually scored behaviours (e.g. feeding) and independent variables (e.g. animal code, strain, treatment) for automatic data selection
- Define zones, such as ‘feeder’ or ‘shelter’, irrespective of whether the animal is in view
- Activate light and sound stimuli to elicit additional behavioural responses, for example a sound stimulus is generated when a mouse approaches the shelter (used in anxiety-related behaviour and learning behaviour research)
- Visualise your data and export tracks for presentations
- Automatically analyse your data; time and distance related parameters can be calculated for independent variables and zones, such as: distance moved, time spent in shelter, activity patterns, distance from wall, number of stops and activity levels
- The analysis of each parameter can be restricted to specific time intervals, behaviours or zones (e.g. compare patterns displayed during the day with those displayed during the night)
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Features and Benefits
| Feature | Benefit | |
|---|---|---|
| Infra-red (IR) lights and an IR camera ensure reliable monitoring, regardless of ambient light conditions in the lab | Monitor animals during multiple circadian cycles | |
| Top unit contains aversive white spot light | Create a light-dark gradient for approach-avoidance behaviour testing | |
| Top unit provides a yellow house light and single tone sound stimuli | Conduct operant conditioning-tests | |
| A wide range of add-ons available | Flexible configuration depending on the desired behavioural test | |
| No need to move rodent | Stress-free environment for use in longer term studies |
Scenarios
Here are some of the many scenarios which have used PhenoTyper:
- Pharmacologists/Neuroscientists
- Behavioural phenotyping of mutant mouse strains
- Neuroscientists
- Monitoring of circadian behaviour in mice
- Behavioural pharmacologists
- Assessing rodent's locomotor activity, exploratory behaviour, vertical behaviour, high throughput screening (up to 16 cages), circadian studies, environment enrichment and home cage testing