Activity and sleep monitoring is assessed within a clean cage with fresh bedding using beambreaks. Food and water is available ad libitum during testing. Kinder Scientific Motor Monitor records beambreak activity to assess general activity, including total ambulations (horizontal movement), rearing behavior, time spent at rest as a proxy for sleep, and sleep bouts, as well as other measures.
Feeding Experimentation Device version 3 (FED3): FED3 is a smart pellet dispensing device for home-cage training of mice in operant tasks.
We have 12 FED3 devices. FED3 is a wireless, battery-powered device designed for home-cage training of mice in operant tasks. Mice interact with FED3 through two nose-pokes and FED3 responds to the mice by delivering pellets, visual stimuli (lights), and auditory stimuli (tones). FED3 has an analog output that allows it to synchronize with and control external equipment such as optogenetic stimulation or fiber photometry recordings. FED3 can be programmed to assess food intake, motivation, and operant learning in mice.
We have developed a 7 day protocol for assessment of feeding behavior. This entails…
Pallidus MR1 activity monitors: Pallidus MR1 sensors are wireless activity and environmental monitors for assessing home-cage activity and circadian rhythms. The Pallidus MR1 device tracks overall activity levels and circadian rhythms of mice or rats in their home-cages. The MR1 device monitors activity using passive infrared sensors and transmits the data wirelessly to an online dashboard for real-time viewing and analysis. The Pallidus MR1 devices also monitor relative light levels, relative humidity, and temperature within the cage. The devices are ideal for long-term monitoring of changes in activity levels or circadian rhythms. The MR1 device can be used for group-housed or single-housed animals, although it cannot distinguish among individuals in a group-housed cage, so reported metrics are at the cage-level. The Pallidus MR1 device was designed and developed by Dr. Alexxai Kravitz (Associate Professor of Psychiatry at WUSTL).