Climbing Test – Measures Vertical Activity in Rodents

MANUFACTURER – UGO BASILE

PRODUCT CODE – 36103

 

SKU: EA-1221-16

Description

Climbing Test – Measures Vertical Activity in Rodents

Climbing Test - Measures Vertical Activity in Rodents

 

Description Of Climbing Test – Measures Vertical Activity in Rodents

Background

The device, developed in collaboration with the laboratory of Prof. Sidney Negus from Virginia Commonwealth University, provides a measurement of the vertical movement of rodents, a parameter which has not been widely investigated so far, in spite of the fact that rodents are animals that live in a 3D space and hence the analysis of XY position only is a limitation in many current studies.

However, climbing behavior and vertical movements have been previously studied in non-automated experiments to investigate many fields, from muscle strength (Ueno et al. 2022), to antidepressants (Perona et al. 2008), stroke (Jin et al., 2017), Parkinson’s (Sundstrom et al., 1990), sex-differences (Borbelyova et al., 2019), locomotor activity and kinematics (Green et al., 2012), neuroleptics and dopamine agonists (Costall et al., 1982; Pinsky et al., 1988; Medvedev et al., 2013), XYZ activity (Wexler et al. 2018), opioid receptors (Michael-Titus et al., 1989), neuropathic and cancer pain (Falk et al., 2017).

The Ugo Basile Climbing System aims to provide a simple and automated tool to measure vertical climbing movements within a grid cylinder to inform all the scientists that are interested in this crucial parameter for their research.

Climbing Test System Components

A load cell underneath the aluminum base (diameter 12 cm) provides the automated start of the test once the animal leaves the base and starts climbing over the cylinder (height 25.5 cm) and its ceiling, thanks to the 5x5mm internal grid.

The output parameters, stored in the electronic unit and exportable in Excel, include the %climbing, the number and duration of climbing episodes, the climbing time, the maximum and average climbing height and the total activity while climbing.

Features Benefits
Conductive sensors to track Z movements Automated measurement of time climbing, distance travelled, time on ceiling, climbing episodes
Load cell floor Automated start of the test
Electronic unit Controlled by touch screen and with internal memory
USB and LAN data saving Easy export into excel and data security
General
Commands 4,3 inches touch-screen (Resistive)
Read-out 4,3 inches touch-screen (Resistive), PC
Power Requirement Universal input 100-240 VAC, 50-60Hz, 200W MAX
Sound Level Negligible
Operating Temperature 18°C to 25°C
Endpoints and statistics: Max height, Average height, Average distance covered, Total climbing time, Total time on roof, Latency on the single climbing event
 

Operation

Start/Stop By Start/Stop button on the climbing cage
Tare By Tare button on the climbing cage
Experiment duration Max 3600 seconds
Height sensors 7 rings + 1 on the roof (capacitive sensors)
Data Acquisition Via X-PAD software (included)
Data Portability By USB flash drive (included) or LAN connection
Data Output Results table in .csv
 

Physical

Sensing cylinder diameter External diameter 12 cm. Internal Diameter 11,5 cm
Grid cylinder diameter 11 cm
Sensing cylinder height 29 cm
Grid cylinder height 28 cm
Weight 5Kg
Shipping Weight 8Kg
Packing Dimensions 36x55x45cm
 

Warranty

Warranty 36103 is covered by a 12-months warranty + 12 months after product registration