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小鼠琴鍵式行為分析系統 ErasmusLadder

產品型號: ErasmusLadder
廠牌名稱: Noldus
ErasmusLadder是一套用來測量與測驗小鼠運動表現與運動學習的全自動化系統,提供您一種獨特、非侵入性且使用簡便的測量小腦行為表現的方式。本系統由一條平行梯與兩個起/終點箱連接所構成,透過平行梯上的觸控式階梯來測量小鼠的步伐,在經過多次的測驗後即可測得該小鼠的運動表現基準。實驗的第二階段會於平行梯中加入預先透過聲音通知的路障,透過面對路障的反應即可測得該小鼠的反射與運動學習能力。

產品特點

為什麼使用小鼠琴鍵式運行行為分析系統

  • 快速,靈敏可靠的方法
  • 專門用來評測小腦功能
  • 非侵入性且易於使用的自動化系統
  • 完整的測試系統:軟體和硬體
  • 專門評估小鼠運動功能及學習能力的系統

 

小鼠琴鍵式運動行為分析系統如何工作

小鼠琴鍵式運動行為分析系統由一個安裝在兩個目標箱之間的水平琴鍵式步道組成。小鼠在光和壓縮空氣的刺激下來穿越步道。該步道由帶有感測器的琴鍵組成,能夠監測小鼠的步進行為,從而能夠評估運動表現和隨時間變化的運動學習能力。

 

小鼠琴鍵式運動行為分析系統的應用領域

由於琴鍵式運動行為分析系統是專門被用來研究運動機能和運動學習能力的全自動系統,因此被經常應用於小腦,小腦病症,和共濟失調(例如帕金森氏型號)等研究,同時已被證明可以應用於自閉症的小鼠模型。

產品規格

Walking the ladder - measuring motor performance

The ErasmusLadder is a horzontal ladder with 37 rungs, alternating on the left and right, and with upper and lower rungs and a goal box at each end.  The upper rungs are comfortable for the mouse to run along, as it heads for the goal box at the other end. The lower rungs are positioned in between the upper ones, so that when the mouse misses an upper rung, it lands on a lower rung (which is less comfortable). The system logs the timing of the mouse running along the top rungs and landing on the bottom runs (which are considered to be misses). Once the animal reaches the goal box, it has a short rest, and then a bright light informs it that a new run is imminent. After 3 seconds, a puff of air prompts the mouse to set off back across the ladder.

First the mouse has to learn to run along the ladder. It is encouraged to do so by a gentle breeze in its back, and the presence of the goal box at the other end.  If it runs the wrong way, or leaves early, a breeze in its faces encourages it to return. Mice quickly learn this task, and run across quickly and easily.

Challenging the mouse - testing motor learning

Once the mouse has learnt to run across the ladder, it is time to challenge its motor learning. As it runs across, suddenly a sound cue is given and then, quarter of a second later, an obstacle appears which it has to learn to deal with.  The mouse can step over it, jump over it, or wait until it goes away again. The obstacle appears at random, so the task measures behavioral flexibility and the sort of motor learning that is coordinated by the cerebellum.

Insight into learning - detailed behavioral logging

The ErasmusLadder logs the timing and duration of every step that the mouse makes. After the experiment is completed, this data is used to calculate a set of parameters (see diagram) which quantify how the mouse has run across the ladder. Is it missing rungs, is it jumping, how fast does it run? Furthermore, the system also calculates parameters derived from behaviors inside the goalbox so that you can analyze if the animal had learnt to start its run at the right moment.

Motor learning in the cerebellum

When you are actively learning a task like walking across a ladder, you use your cerebellum. Once the task is automated, the motor control is taken over by other regions of the brain.  However, when something unexpected happens, like an obstacle suddenly appearing that you have to jump over, your cerebellum comes into play again as you actively learn how to respond to the new situation (behavioral flexibility). The ErasmusLadder is therefore specially designed to measure both motor ability and motor learning, and especially the role of the cerebellum in motor learning. The cerebellum receives a tremendous number of inputs from the spinal cord and from many regions of both the cortical and subcortical brain. In this way, the cerebellum receives extensive information from somesthetic, vestibular, visual, and auditory sensory systems, as well as from motor and nonmotor areas of the cerebral cortex. Many diseases and disease models where these areas are involved can therefore potentially tested on the ErasmusLadder. The list of animal models being tested on the ErasmusLadder is steadily growing and inclides purkinje cell degeneration, autism, neurofibromatosis, and fragile X.

History

The ErasmusLadder was conceived and orginally developed in Professor Chris de Zeeuw at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, as a phenotyping instrument for the rapid screening of cereballar defecits.  Today, it is an extremely valuable tool which provides detailed phenotypes of motor ability and motor learning in mouse models of a variety of diseases. Further development of the instrument and accompanying software has been carried out by together with Bas Koekkoek (Neurasmus BV, a spin-off from Erasmus MC) and Noldus Information Technology. Noldus will soon release the commercial version of the ErasmusLadder.

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