The detection of freezing is automated and based on video analysis.
The Ugo Basile Fear Conditioning systems are designed to run Pavlovian conditioning experiments on mice or rats. Single-frequency sounds are delivered as neutral or conditioned stimulus (CS). Experimental procedures which contemplate the sound as CS are usually referred to as Cued Fear Conditioning. Electric current from the grid floor is delivered as the naturally aversive, or unconditioned stimulus (US).
Tests are run in an animal cage with a grid floor, whose appearance can be easily altered by attaching patterned contexts on the walls and floor. This allows for the investigation of Contextual Fear Conditioning, in which the CS is not the sound but the visual appearance of the cage (i.e. the context) itself. In this case the animal associates the electric shock to the environment where it was received.
A typical FC-System consists of:
- an FC-Unit, encompassing a Sound-Attenuating Box, with ventilating fan, a dual (visible/I.R.) light, a speaker & a USB-camera. Each FC-Unit has an individual controller on-board
- an FC-Cage, for mouse or rat, (see ordering information for available models), with electrified floor & context kit (3 floors and 3 sets of patterned walls)
- ANY-maze software (FC or full license, from version 6.0, upgrade available)
Animal Cages with Electrified Grid Floor are available in the following models:
- 46002 Rat Cage, I.D.: 26x26x30(h)cm
- 46003 Mouse Cage, I.D.: 17x17x25(h)cm
- 46004 Mouse XL Cage, I.D. 26x26x30(h)cm, with mouse floor
Optional models for tethered animals are available.
Multiple systems, with virtually no limit, are easily assembled by multiplying the number of FC-Units and FC-cages, with no additional multiplexer or interface required.
ANY-maze controls the shocker, the sound generator and the light (I.R. and visible), and automatically detects the animal freezing, reporting information such as: total freezing time, number and duration of freezing episodes, latency times between stimuli and freezing. |
NEW to the 2.1 version:
- Extremely simple to set-up: just plug a USB cable into a single USB port on the FC-Unit
- ANY-maze controls all phases of the test, managing the experimental parameters, detecting the animal response and analyzing the experimental data
- An Ugo Basile Fear Conditioning mode is provided in ANY-maze protocol list to facilitate the set-up: by asking some questions about the way you want to set up the cages, the software creates lots of the protocol items for you!
You own a previous version of our FC-System? No worries: you can easily upgrade it to the new version, and/or add extra units. Ask for details! |