Behavioral Monitoring

The Industry’s first Cognitive Perception System for studying cognitive animal behavior!!

The essence of the Cognitive Perception System is to provide an environment where the animal has an ever-existing A-B choice. “A-B choice” means that the subject animal is in a series of interconnected chambers where a door A and a door B each lead to an identical adjoining chamber. Each chamber looks visually the same as all the other chambers in size and configuration. Each chamber has a non-visual parameter, temperature, sound, vibration or smell that is changeable in a controlled way by you. As a result, in response to a cue, the animal is given a choice of staying where it is or going through door A or door B to another chamber.

Cognitive Perception System has four chambers, set in the corners of a square, that are connected via doors through which the subject animal may choose to pass. Each of the chambers is capable of having an aspect of its environment changed. In either the sound or temperature model, an aversion stimuli (foot shock in various current ranges) can be added to the chambers of the Cognitive Perception System.

The System include cues (light, sound) to which the animal may become trained to respond and switches, levers, lickometers or other operant interacting devices for allowing the animal to respond or desirable substance sources such as food feeders, drug, alcohol or medicament dispensing devices as rewards or as part of your experiment. The System gives you a whole new way to study cognition!!

The SmartFrame Open Field System has been designed with advanced features and ease-of-use as primary objectives. It uses Motor Monitor software common to all our motor activity products with post analysis routines for greater flexibility in analyzing data. The advanced diagnostics use an exclusive 4-level test that runs automatically before each session. Named the SmartFrame because of its onboard intelligent circuitry, this system dramatically enhances validation and diagnostic efforts. An excellent choice for open field work for both rats and mice because of its standard high density beam spacing. Systems are also available for larger animals – please consult us for details.

Large Animal Open Field

For studies with larger animals or when our standard size open field does not meet the paradigm requirements we offer our Large Animal Open Field unit. With the same options and advanced software tools as our standard open field, this unit offers even more flexibility for your lab.

Sound Isolation Chamber

We use our unique sound deadening technology to create these chambers for sounds sensitive studies, offering 10dB greater attenuation than our competition.

Light/Dark Insert

Home Cage System:

The SmartFrame Home Cage System has been designed with advanced features and ease-of-use as primary objectives. It uses Motor Monitor software common to all motor activity products with post analysis routines for greater flexibility in analyzing data. The advanced diagnostics use an exclusive 4-level test that runs automatically before each session. Named the SmartFrame system because of its onboard intelligent circuitry, this system dramatically enhances validation and diagnostic efforts. An excellent choice for open field work for both rats and mice because of its standard high density beam spacing. Systems are also available for larger animals – please consult factory for details.

Light/Dark Insert

These infrared transparent inserts are available for Home Cage Frames in varying sizes.

AvoidanceMonitor Host Software

Run this advanced control software on our SmartFrame Home Cage stations. Control the time of trials, number of trials, length of shock and choose from a variety of condition stimuli from a single screen. As with all our software, the data is easy to get at with a single reduction screen to guide you through the few steps needed.

The Rotometer collects rotational data for up to 40 stations. Each station can be started independently so that data collection begins at the appropriate time for each subject. Output data include clockwise, counter-clockwise, full turn, and quarter turn for all subjects and does not have to be selected prior to beginning sessions. The Rotometer Model is used for traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s, and spinal cord injuries. The Rotometer uses the widely used Motor Monitor application software that has become an industry standard for the collection of animal activity in GLP labs, Bio-tech companies, large Pharma and many universities around the globe.

This widely popular add-on to the SmartFrame motor systems, the CCFC (Cued & Contextual Fear Conditioning) insert, is just one of the many enhancements to our standard frame. This means in addition to the shock, tone and cue light stimuli options, the user also has the benefits of the advanced measures and user-definable settings of our Motor Monitor host software. It contains a uniquely designed shock grid floor that separates from the electronic circuit assemblies making it possible to send it to the cage wash. The software interface is based on our scripting option and provides full control to the user in creating user defined algorithms.

Sound Isolation Chamber

Available in Open Field and Home Rack sizes. We use our unique sound deadening technology to create these chambers for sounds sensitive studies, offering 10dB greater attenuation than our competition.

AvoidanceMonitor Host Software

Run this advanced control software on our Dual Fear Conditioning Stations. Control the time of trials, number of trials, length of shock and choose from a variety of condition stimuli from a single screen. Using software, the data is easy to get at with a single reduction screen to guide you through the few steps needed.

Impressive Paradigm List and Features

• Active Avoidance
• Single Trial Passive Avoidance
• Multi-trial Passive Avoidance
• Trials to Criterion
• Windows 7 based PC software that is simple to use
• Easily converts to rat or mouse studies within minutes
• Each Station is run independently with separate start buttons.
• No card to install, just a simple serial port connection
• Run up to 8 stations for higher throughput

The Forced Swim paradigm is the most widely used tool for assessing antidepressant activity. The extensive use of this model is based in its ease of use, reliability across laboratories and ability to detect a broad spectrum of antidepressant agents. Now it is possible to automatically score this well-accepted task with ease and superb accuracy. Based on the Motor Monitor software, the Forced swim System consists of two 4 x 4 photo beam arrays that allow for the monitoring of swimming and climbing behaviors.

Designed for both the Forced Swim and Modified Forced Swim procedures, this simple unit can get at all important measures effortlessly. The software makes an easy task of reducing the data by allowing export of an entire study into one CSV (comma separated values) file. This file is then used for quick transfer into a spreadsheet or other statistical program. Immobility can be defined by the researcher, allowing for compatibility with your previous observationally scored studies. This robust system has been fully validated so that you can be confident that your data is accurate and reliable. Don’t waste another minute sitting with a stopwatch and pad or endlessly trying to achieve the optimum setup for your video system. Get benefitted by a fully automated, reliable and exclusive quick drain system with effortless water changes.

In the Tail Suspension assay, the animal is suspended from its tail for a 6 minute test (user definable) and cannot “escape.” During the test the system records the number of times (events) each subject enters into an escape behavior (struggles), the duration of the event and the average strength of each event.

This screen display represents the actual raw data as collected. The recording is a continuous collection of samples that are analyzed post-session. This allows the user to re-set any parameters and re-process the data files at any future time.

This screen display demonstrates the filtered data from a typical session. Notice that the activity now appears to be in blocks or episodes.The associated software:

• Allows up to FOUR Subjects in four assays to be tested simultaneously.
• Reports All Measures in Both Session Totals and Interval Totals.

• Provides:

• Event Counter – Increments each time the subject’s force exceeds a predefined value
• Time Tally – Accumulated time during each interval for all events.
• Force Tally – Average strength or amplitude for each event.

The 3 Compartment Place Preference System Provides Unprecedented Ease in Changing Context Walls! The 3 Compartment Place Preference enclosure is made up of clear polycarbonate walls surrounded by white acrylic walls for context programming. Each wall allows you to manually program its context pattern by attaching your desired context pattern to the white acrylic wall and then sliding the white acrylic wall with corresponding context pattern into a slot built into the clear polycarbonate wall. As a result, the context pattern is directed into the 3 Compartment Place Preference enclosure. Each of the 3 compartments also contains independent light control for balancing the subject’s preference before conditioning. It is also the only system available containing both X and Y beams providing greater resolution. Constructed of high quality acrylics and stainless steel where possible

The New Hearing Loss & Tinnitus options for Startle Monitor system, featuring the OtoCentrix technology is specifically designed for rodent applications in our Startle Monitor system. Through the use of pre-pulse inhibition and gap detection you will be able to measure hearing loss at frequency or perform studies in the field of tinnitus research. These new options are the result of a 20 year pursuit of advancing startle. Startle Monitor systems using these options have become a key component of basic tinnitus research & toxicology tests for determining hearing loss in rats & mice. As the chart to the right shows, when an animal is exposed to a large stimulus in normal background noise, the animal startles in response to the stimulus.

As Young & Fechter said in their landmark 1983 paper titled Reflex inhibition procedures for animal audiometry (J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 73, 1686-93)*:
“By manipulating both the frequency and intensity of the prepulse stimulus, it is possible to probe with different stimuli to determine which sounds the animal can or cannot hear.”

In summary, as shown in the graph, if the animal can hear the pre-pulse probe stimulus, the startle is inhibited. So, if the animal’s startle response is muted, it means the animal heard the sound. If the animal’s startle response is NOT muted, it means the animal DID NOT hear the sound.

The Startle Monitor system allows you to systematically probe the animal’s hearing by eliciting and measuring the animal’s startle response!

Introducing the industry’s first collapsible RADIAL ARM MAZE!! The Radial Arm Maze has eight arms arranged around a small circular central platform. Each arm has a door to allow or restrict access from the central platform to the respective arm. Each door is controllable by the Motor Monitor software to allow you complete control over each door’s actuation and the ability to track the animal’s movements on the maze. The Motor Monitor software also gives you the following Kinder Scientific Exclusive optional Advanced Graphic Comparator features!!

HotSpots - The HotSpots software is a graphical gradient display! Acquire instant, graphical comparisons of session results! No longer need to make assumptions with zone maps! This option is an extremely powerful aid in analyzing activity behavior! This feature is an excellent visual tool because you can open multiple windows to compare groups.

Playback - View the path of an animal from a data document; speed it up if desired. You can overlay a compatible zone map and see activity relative to the areas of interest and set the time-sliding time clocks to view only the period of interest. You can also trace the entire path of the animal and print the results.

OverTime - This option allows you to view the changes in activity Over Time. The chart zone metrics (Total Time, Rest Time, Distance, etc.) allow you to view these changes for multiple zones. Seeing how an animal or an ensemble of animals change as time changes allows for establishing baseline expectations as well as displaying a view of the changes that a drug causes over time.

Although the RADIAL ARM MAZE is primarily used to study spatial learning and memory in rats and mice, it is also used to study motor activity, cognition and reproduction/reproductive issues! It is truly a versatile research tool!

BARNES MAZE

The basic function of Barnes maze is to measure the ability of a subject animal to learn and remember the location of a target zone using a configuration of distal visual cues located around the testing area. The Barnes Maze consists of a circular table-like surface with a number of circular holes located around its circumference. Typically, the goal is for the animal to reach a box positioned beneath one of the holes with the aid of visual cues that surround the Barnes Maze

The Barnes Maze is often used to study spatial memory and learning, evaluate drugs and other chemicals for their effect on the animal’s cognition, study cognitive aspects of transgenic animals having genetic strains modeling diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, study the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury on cognition and study searching strategies.

The Barnes Maze combines quality and robust construction with our Motor Monitor software, common to all our motor activity products, with the industry-leading post analysis routines for greater flexibility in analyzing data.

PLUS MAZE

The Elevated Plus Maze has higher resolution and specially created measures that enhance your ability to quantify anxiety. For example, with beams mounted on the edge of the open arms, we capture the animal hanging its head over the edge. Going out on the cliff is one thing, hanging over the edge of it is another! And the Elevated Plus Maze’s high resolution can separate arms into multiple zones. These multiple zones report how far an animal retreats from the intersection into closed arms and how far it dares go into the open arms, a truly unique ability in quantifying the animal’s emotions!

As with all our activity systems, the Elevated Plus Maze system has been designed with advanced features and ease-of-use in mind. Motor Monitor’s post analysis software provides greater flexibility in analyzing and re-analyzing data based on different parameters. Constructed of high quality, square aluminum tubing that is precisely machined. This method allows you to collapse the Elevated Plus Maze in just a few minutes for storage! All surfaces that the animal comes into contact with are made of high quality cast Plexiglas and are also machined for accuracy.

ZERO MAZE

Powered by our Motor Monitor software, our Zero Maze is the first of its kind. This well performing maze contains 32 beam pairs to accurately locate the subject, detecting transitions from open to closed and time in each zone is assured. It also contains the full set of Motor Monitor measures providing valuable behavioral insights to Fine Motor, Ambulations, and Pokes Into Zones – a proprietary measure exclusive from Kinder Scientific that differentiates whole body entries from minor head pokes into a zone. Pokes Into Zone measures one of the classic stretch-attend postures often assessed in anxiety studies.

Save precious grant funds & lab space with this new innovative system! The Motor Monitor System is an industry breakthrough, providing the possibility of multiple motor activity assays on a single system through the innovative Behavioral System Core. The Behavioral System Core is a completely new approach to behavioral automation; a single universal control chassis that simplifies the overall automation design of your lab allowing you to run and control several assays off of a single computer!

The Behavioral System Core runs all of our behavioral assays:

• Open Field
• Home Cage
• Plus Maze
• Rotometer
• Light/Dark
• Startle Reflex
• Active & Passive Avoidance
• Forced Swim
• Tail Suspension
• Cue & Contextual Fear Conditioning
• Place Preference
• Learning Hole Board

With just a single PC Computer and one of our Behavioral System Cores you can run any of these assays. Simply connect each assay station to the Behavior System Core & run the appropriate software. Expansions are available for up to 64 stations! You no longer need to purchase an additional system & computer just to run an additional assay. More data collection at less expense!