Journal of neuroscience methods
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Apr 2000
Assessing spatial vision - automated measurement of the contrast-sensitivity function in the hooded rat.
The contrast-sensitivity function (CSF) provides a concise and thorough description of an organism's spatial vision; it is widely used to describe vision in animals and humans, to track developmental changes in vision, and to compare vision among different species. Despite the predominance of rats in neuroscience research, their vision is not thoroughly studied due to the complexity of psychophysical measurement and a generally held notion that rat vision is poor. We therefore designed an economical and rapid method to assess the hooded rat's CSF, using a computer monitor to display stimuli and an infrared touch screen to record responses. ⋯ Psychometric functions were obtained by maximum-likelihood fitting of a logistic function to the raw data, obtaining the threshold as the function's point of inflection. As in previous studies with rats, CSFs showed an inverse-U shape with peak sensitivity at 0.12 cyc/deg and acuity just under 1 cyc/deg. The results indicate the present computer-controlled behavioral testing device is a precise and efficient instrument to assess spatial visual function in rats.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Apr 2000
Clinical TrialChronaxie calculated from current-duration and voltage-duration data.
To determine the rheobase and the chronaxie of excitable cells from strength-duration curves both constant-current pulses and constant-voltage pulses are applied. Since the complex impedance of the electrode-tissue interface varies with both the pulsewidth and the stimulation voltage, chronaxie values estimated from voltage-duration measurements will differ from the proper values as determined from current-duration measurements. To allow a comparison of chronaxie values obtained by the two stimulation methods, voltage-duration curves were measured in human subjects with a deep brain stimulation electrode implanted, while the current and the load impedance of the stimulation circuit were determined in vitro as a function of both stimulation voltage and pulsewidth. ⋯ It was also shown that in the normal range of stimulation amplitudes (up to 7 V) the load impedance increases almost linearly with the pulsewidth. This result led us to present a simple method to convert voltage-duration data into current-duration data, thereby reducing the error in the calculated chronaxie values to approximately 6%. For this purpose voltage-duration data have to be measured for pulses up to 10-20 times the expected chronaxie.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Mar 1999
Paw withdrawal threshold in the von Frey hair test is influenced by the surface on which the rat stands.
The effect of testing surface on the rat hind paw withdrawal threshold in the von Frey hair test is investigated in this study. The data indicate that wire mesh, which is typically used to apply von Frey hairs, may have an effect on the paw withdrawal threshold. For example, in control rats tested on the wire mesh, variability in the withdrawal threshold was observed between the left and the right hind paws (51.04+/-12.29 and 64.31+/-9.37 g, respectively) and on different days of testing (35.24+/-9.54 and 45.83+/-12.97 g for the left and right hind paws, respectively, 7 days later). ⋯ Furthermore, in rats in which a 2 mm polyethylene cuff was used to constrict the left common sciatic nerve, the ipsilateral as well as the contralateral hind paw withdrawal thresholds were decreased (2.45+/-0.65 and 26.09+/-5.86 g, respectively, 7 days later). In similar rats tested on the wire mesh, the ipsilateral but not the contralateral paw withdrawal threshold decreased (12.80+/-2.21 and 65.00+/-10.28 g, respectively, at 7 days). The data suggest that the flat surface and opaque properties of the customized platform enable accurate, reliable and repeatable measurements of ipsilateral and contralateral paw withdrawal threshold using von Frey hairs in normal and nerve-injured rats.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Oct 1998
Assessing mechanical allodynia in the rat paw with a new electronic algometer.
Von Frey filaments used for testing mechanical thresholds are mechanically unstable and their use is difficult to standardize. We have therefore constructed a hand-held electronic pressure algometer. The pressure algometer is connected to a computerized data collection system, allowing on-line display of the applied force as well as the application rate. ⋯ Thresholds of control rats without surgery were in the 0.380-0.520 N range, with no significant difference between paws. In an additional experiment it was shown that interobserver reliability was high, both between withdrawal threshold values obtained and between rates of application used. In conclusion, the electronic algometer allows standardization of testing, detailed documentation of each experiment and provides an objective and accurate method for measuring the reactions of test animals to mechanical stimuli.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jun 1998
Comparative StudyForce of limb withdrawals elicited by graded noxious heat compared with other behavioral measures of carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia and allodynia.
We investigated if carrageenan-induced thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia are associated with a reduction in threshold and-or enhancement of suprathreshold nocifensive responses, using a method to measure the force of a hind limb wilhdrawal reflex elicited by graded noxious heat stimuli (36-52 degrees C, 5s) delivered by Peltier thermode tethered to the ventral hind paw of conscious rats. Withdrawal reflexes were recorded 2.5 h after intraplantar injection of carrageenan (1 or 0.1%) or saline vehicle in sessions >2 weeks apart: baseline reflexes were assessed the day before. Withdrawal reflex force increased linearly from 42-52 degrees C. ⋯ Smaller reductions in thermal paw withdrawal latency and mechanical withdrawal threshold, and smaller enhancement of withdrawal reflex force, were observed following 0.1% carrageenan. Intraplantar saline was ineffective. This method allows assessment of hyperalgesic changes in stimulus-response coding over a broad range of noxious stimulus intensities.