Observation apparatus for the behavioral observation of experimental animals

摘要

An observation apparatus for the behavioral observation of experimental animals (M), capable of detecting the three-dimensional actions of the experimental animal. The observation apparatus comprises a transparent keeping cage (1) having cylindrical outer and inner walls (2, 4) defining an annular keeping space (6) therebetween, a group of circumferential position detectors, a group of standing action detectors (11), a group of inner peripheral position detectors (12), a group of outer peripheral position detectors (13), and data processing unit for processing detection signals produced by the detectors to determine the actions of the experimental animal through the analysis of the detection signals produced by the detectors. The detectors of each group are arranged on a circle at equal angular arrangement. Four detectors each of one of the four groups of detectors are arranged in a set on the same radius and driven simultaneously or sequentially, and the sets of the detectors are driven sequentially one at a time to avoid interference between the detectors. The data processing unit is simple and compact in construction and has amplifiers each for each set of the detectors. The transparent keeping cage (1) and its annular keeping space (6) enables the natural, spontaneous movement of the experimental animal (M) in a three-dimensional space.