Movement compensator

The rotation assistant, equipped with an automatic coiler, allows coupling the analysis of the behavior and techniques such as electrophysiology, optogenetics, calcium imaging, in large mazes or in chambers.

Movement compensator

Problem

An animal that freely moves in an arena naturally spins round and round. If wires, fibers or tubes are connected to the animal they will necessarily turn around and quickly tangle. This leads to the creation of a resistance that influences the locomotor activity of the animal.

 

Solution

Our rotation assistant is a solution to this problem, because:

  • it leads the rotation of =one or several commutators (electric, optic, liquid, miniscope) according to the rotative movements applied by the animal. The rotation of the animal is transmitted to the commutators located above through our sensors and on-board electronics.
  • it manages in real time the slack of a rubber band that is attached to the cables / fibers / tubes, to compensate the traction of the animal on the system.

This equipment is particularly recommended to couple the analysis of the behavior with other techniques in large mazes, e.g.:

  • Radial maze,
  • Fear conditioning,
  • Water maze,
  • Operant conditioning chambers,
  • Openfield,
  • Shuttle box,
  • etc…

Our movement compensator can also be easily used with a behavioral apparatus enclosed in a box. The circular base perfectly fits in a 160mm opening in the ceiling.

 

 

                                    Over a box