Info-optical system for monitoring the movement of laboratory rodents

摘要

Info-optical system for monitoring the movement of laboratory rodents. # The present invention consists of an info-optical system designed to monitor the movements of laboratory rodents in experiments carried out in labyrinths such as Open-field, T-Maze and Morris water Maze and on voluntary or motorized training wheels. The system locates, tracks and records the path described over time by one or more infrared light bulbs attached to the skin of the laboratory animal; This allows the determination of a set of variables such as: movement time, inaction time, frequency in different areas of the enclosure, shape of the path, length of the path traveled, instantaneous speed, average speed, maximum speed, acceleration and other quantities physical derived from them. Therefore, it allows automatic monitoring of laboratory rodent movements, replacing the human operator. # This system can be applied simultaneously in up to 6 training or experimentation instruments of as many laboratory rodents.