Equipment

NOTE: All equipment listed is for use by ABC staff or ABC-trained individuals only. Training on equipment and subsequent equipment rental can be provided for a fee

This is an approximate list of our behavioral equipment and software. Please contact one of our team members for more information.

Hardware
  • Accelerating Rotarod (EZRod): We have 4 accelerating Rotarod apparatuses. The rods are 3 cm in diameter raised approximately 57 cm.
  • Activity Chambers: Two sets of 8 horizontal and vertical beam-break racks, 47.6 x 25.4 x 20.6 cm
  • Activity Wheels: 6 activity wheel chambers measuring 20.0 cm X 31.3 cm at the base and 22.0 cm X 33.0 cm at the top with a height of 18.7 cm that contains one wheel and tracking apparatus. The rungs of the wheels can be removed at varying intervals for complex wheel running. 
  • Actometer: There are 2 clear acrylic actometer chambers on top of 2 base plates. The large actometer chamber is 42 cm X 42 cm X 31 cm. The small actometer chamber is 20 cm X 20 cm X 20 cm. 
  • Automated Sippers: These are wireless devices for measuring how mice interact with liquid rewards in their homecages. We have 8 automated devices.
  • Balance Beam: The beam is 125cm long and elevated 54cm above the ground with a net suspended under the beam to catch animals that fall.  A goal box (25 x 25 x 25cm) is at one end of the beam. The beam can accommodate rodents of varying size and motor ability, therefore beam widths come in the following sizes: 6mm, 12mm, 24mm and 48mm.
  • Barnes Maze: A white acrylic circular platform measuring 122 cm across with 20 evenly spaced holes (5 cm diameter) along the perimeter. Mounting for the escape tunnel is installed under each hole. 
  • Behavior Sound- and Scent-Attenuating Chambers: 4 boxes measuring 77.1 cm X 51.0 cm X 58.0 cm
  • CatWalk XT: Our Catwalk XT runway has a walkable glass pathway of 130 cm X 5 cm, which is elevated 108 cm from the floor. There is a goal box (with an 8 cm opening) on one end of the runway that measures 44 cm X 24 cm X 30.5 cm that can be used to entice animals to walk the length of the runway. 
  • DigiGait: Our DigiGait is adaptable for both mice and rats. Our belt (81.5 cm X 8.5 cm) can accommodate a clear polycarbonate mouse chamber measuring 47.3 cm X 5.5 cm X 14.8 cm or a clear polycarbonate rat chamber measuring 66.2 cm X 7.8 cm X 14.9 cm. Both chambers can be adjusted in length.
  • Elevated Plus Maze (Mouse): This plus shaped equipment has a center zone of 5 x 5 cm and four arms measuring 35.5 x 5cm (two closed, two open), elevated 64cm from the ground.
  • Elevated Plus Maze (Rat): This plus shaped equipment has a center zone of 11 x 11 cm and four arms measuring 50 cm x 10 cm (two closed, two open), elevated 86.8 cm from the ground. The walls of the closed arms are 40 cm tall.
  • E-Mitters and Bases: We have 6 implantable E-Mitters measuring 15mm long with a diameter of 5 mm, along with 8 tracking bases measuring 54.5 cm X 29 cm X 7 cm. 
  • Entrainment Cabinet: Approximately 100-105 cm wide, 58-60 cm deep, and 54 cm tall\
  • Feeding Experimentation Device version 3 (FED3): FED3 is a smart pellet dispensing device for home-cage training of mice in operant tasks. 15 devices.
  • Grip Strength Apparatus: Our grip strength apparatus is from Ugo Basile, model 47105-001. The apparatus consists of a peak amplifier box (24.7cm X 15.5cm X 11cm) with a small digital readout window (4.5cm X 2.5 cm), a standard chemistry support stand, and a grasping bar 1mm in diameter in the shape of an equilateral triangle on which the target grasping area is 3.5cm wide.
  • Holeboard Apparatuses: 4 apparatuses measuring 40 x 40 x 40 cm with 8 holes spaced equidistantly around the perimeter.  
  • Light/Dark Boxes: 2 Acrylic boxes, 45.3 cm X 23.8 cm X 20.7 cm, partitioned for a light and smaller dark side with a 8 cm X 6.5 cm doorway in between with a removable door block 11.2 cm X 12.1 cm
  • Morris Water Maze Pools: Water Maze pools are available in 114cm (mouse) or 183cm (rat) diameters. 
  • Novel Objects: we have a variety of objects that we have validated for use for novel object exploration and novel object/location recognition assays.
  • Open Field Chambers: 4 horizontal and vertical beam-break racks 40 X 40 X 40CM.
  • Operant Conditioning Boxes:  Four conditioning conditioning boxes measuring 33.2 cm x 39.0 cm x 35.7 cm, made from clear acrylic with a clear acrylic door measuring 20.3 cm X 20.5 cm and a wire bar floor (~3mm diameter bars spaced 5mm apart) housed in a sound-attenuating box (46 cm x 46 cm floor).
  • Pallidus MR1 Activity Monitors (aka Mouse.Rats): Pallidus MR1 sensors are wireless activity and environmental monitors for assessing home-cage activity and circadian rhythms in mice
  • Sensorimotor Equipment: Balance Beam: Used to evaluate sensorimotor function. The beam can accommodate rodents of varying size and motor ability; beam widths come in the following sizes: 6mm, 12mm, 24mm and 48mm. The beam is 125cm long and elevated 54cm above the ground with a net suspended under the beam to catch animals that fall. A goal box (25 x 25 x 25cm) is at one end of the beam.
  • Sensorimotor Equipment: Ledge: An acrylic apparatus measuring 40cm long x 33cm high wall with a 0.5cm width ledge. Suitable for mice and very young rats.
  • Sensorimotor Equipment: Platform: Platforms are elevated on a 25.5cm high pole. The mouse platform is a puck-shape with 3.5cm diameter and 1cm thickness. The small rat platform is 5cm diameter and 1.5cm thick. The large rat platform is 7.6cm and 2cm thick.
  • Sensorimotor Equipment: Pole: The pole is 57.3cm high (measured from base) and can be adjusted shorter. Pole is threaded to provide grip.
  • Sensorimotor Equipment: Walk Initiation Square: A marked 24x24cm square for mice and 30x30cm for rats.
  • Sensorimotor Equipment: Angled and Inverted Screens: Mouse screen apparatuses include a screen angled 60° and a screen angled 90° measuring 54cm x 19cm, which are elevated 27cm from the ground. Rat screen apparatus includes a 90° screen measuring 56cm x 36cm with 1cm x 1cm square grid, which is elevated 30cm from the ground.
  • Social Approach (Mouse): Four social approach apparatuses (60 cm x 20 cm) consists of three compartments made of opaque white acrylic. Rectangular openings (5cmx8cm) in the dividers between chambers allow movement between chambers and can be closed off with acrylic door inserts.
  • Social Approach (Rat): One social approach apparatus (101.5 cm X 101.5 cm X 35 cm) consists of three compartments made of clear acrylic. Rectangular openings (10 cm X 10 cm) in the dividers between chambers allow movement between chambers. The apparatus sits on a base measuring 109 cm X 105 cm X 1.5 cm. 
  • Social Dominance Tubes: 2 tubes, one large and one small. The large tube has a diameter of 4 cm with an opening diameter of 3.6 cm and a length of 30.5 cm. A notch is cut for a removable partition at 15.2 cm.  The small tube has a diameter of 3.4 cm with an opening diameter of 3.0 cm and a length of 30.5 cm. A notch is cut for a removable partition at 15.2 cm.
  • Standard Rotarod (Mouse): We have two sets of 4 rods each. The first set of 4 rods (4 cm in diameter) raised approximately 60 cm. The second set of 4 rods (4 cm in diameter) raised approximately 32 cm.
  • Standard Rotarod (Rat): One set of 4 rods (8 cm in diameter) raised approximately 63 cm.
  • Startle Chambers: The Startle Chamber for mice is 13.8 cm x 7.1 cm x 6.8 cm measuring 9.4 cm x 5.0 cm x 5.2 cm inside with a white acrylic base and an arched lid of metal bars (~5mm diameter bars spaced 5 mm apart). The Startle Chamber for rats is 18.8 cm x 11.2 cm x 10.5 cm measuring 17.1 cm x 8.7 cm x 9.0 cm inside with a white base and an arched lid of metal bars (~6mm diameter bars spaced 8mm apart). The interchangeable chambers are housed in a sound-attenuating startle chamber apparatus measuring 29.5 cm x 36.0 cm x 29.0 cm inside. 
  • T-Maze: The T-Maze apparatus consists of a starting chamber and a left and right arm in a T configuration; the entire apparatus is enclosed by walls 20 cm tall. The intersection of the T-configuration measures 17.5 x 17.5cm, which is split in half by a divider to separate the left and right arms and entrance to the intersection (4.5cm wide) from the starting chamber. The starting chamber is 10 x 23cm. The left and right arms are 10 x 26cm
  • Ultrasonic Vocalization Recording Equipment: Our USV chamber is a sound attenuating cabinet lined with dense foam measuring 36 cm X 54 cm X 53 cm, equipped with an Avisoft UltraSoundGate CM16 microphone and an Avisoft UltraSoundGate 116H amplifier.
  • Virtual Optomotor System: We have two VOS apparatuses, each consisting of 4 computer screens coming together to form a box. One VOS has a chamber measuring 52.5 cm X 52.2 cm X 95 cm with a 19 cm tall platform (5.5 cm diameter). The second VOS has a chamber measuring 50 cm X 50 cm X 30 CM with a 13.5 cm tall platform (5.5 cm diameter).
  • Y-Maze: The Y-maze is composed of three arms measuring 40cm x 10cm surrounded with 20cm high walls. The arms are arranged in a Y shape with a triangular center that is 10cm on each side.
Software
  • Any-maze Tracking Software (Stoelting, Co)
  • Avisoft RECORDER
  • Avisoft SASLabPro
  • CatWalk XT (Noldus)
  • DigiGait (Mouse Specifics)
  • Ethovision XT (Noldus)
  • FreezeFrame4 (ActiMetrics)
  • GraphPad Prism
  • Microsoft Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Office
  • Motor Monitor (Kinder Scientific)
  • OptoMotry HD (Cerebral Mechanics, Inc)
  • SPSS Statistics
  • Startle Monitor (Kinder Scientific)