ES1246264U - SYSTEM TO ANALYZE THE BEHAVIOR OF AN ANIMAL BASED ON VIBRISAS (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

System to analyze the behavior of an animal based on vibrissa that includes: a passage structure (6) comprising two accesses (62a, 62b) and a plurality of sections (61, 62, 63) that allow a variety of different routes to connect the two accesses; multiple presence sensors (1) configured to activate and send a signal when they detect an animal in a section (61, 62, 63) of the passage structure (6); a microcontroller (3) configured to receive the signal sent by each sensor (1) and generate activation information that includes at least the identification of the activated sensor (1) and activation time, where the identification of the sensor (1) comprises information on the location of the sensor in the passage structure (6); a local memory (4) configured to store the generated activation information; at least one image acquisition device (2) configured to acquire a plurality of images of the animal in the passage structure (6); communication means (5a, 5b) configured to send the activation information and associated acquired images to a remote computer (10). (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

SYSTEM TO ANALYZE ANIMAL'S BEHAVIOR

BASED ON VIBRISAS

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates, in general, to the quantitative analysis of the behavior of an animal, in principle a rodent, by means of sensors and modifications in a tubular structure.

State of the Art

The behavioral tests that are carried out routinely are highly subjective and are mostly qualitative.

To adequately value new medical treatments and therapies, the pharmaceutical industry requires reproducible and quantitative models.

A particular case are those pathologies that involve behavioral deficits caused by brain damage. However, the use of reproducible and quantitative techniques can be extended to carry out research in other branches of science, for example, to analyze how normal animals behave under different conditions (fasting, stress ...).

Rodents are the most widely used animals in behavior tests. It is also well known that the exploratory behavior of rodents through their vibrissae is damaged in certain pathologies of the nervous system, such as stroke.

Brief description of the invention

The present invention proposes a system to evaluate the behavior in exploration tasks of animals that possess vibrissae, essentially rodents that are widely used in behavior research.

Rodents are nocturnal animals that explore the environment around them with vibrissae. Vibrissae are a type of specialized rigid hairs that some animals possess as a tactile sensory element.

The system object of the present invention advantageously combines three aspects, a mechanical part, a monitoring part and an information processing part.

In its most general form, the proposed system is defined by the independent claim. On the other hand, the dependent claims define particular or especially advantageous embodiments.

Brief description of the figures

To complement the description that is being made and in order to facilitate the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is included as an integral part of said description, where, by way of illustration and not limitation, the following has been represented :

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the system.

FIG. 2 is an example of a labyrinth and shows in detail different sections that allow changing the structure of the labyrinth.

FIG. 3 shows in detail a device (housing) that can present several alternatives that allow different stimulus sources to be placed.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram to illustrate aspects of signal monitoring and information transmission.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram to illustrate aspects of information processing.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an interface for displaying data on the screen.

Detailed description of the invention

In relation to the previous figures, various embodiments are presented for a better understanding of the invention.

In general, the achievements can be described attending to three aspects. A mechanical part that encompasses a tubular labyrinth-like structure that allows rats to be in darkness, forcing them to orient themselves exploring the environment exclusively with their vibrissae. A second monitoring part that includes a series of sensors that allow monitoring the position of the animal and a communications unit that transmits information for processing. The third part, corresponding to information processing, includes the storage, display and treatment of the information received. These and other aspects will be made clearer by the present detailed description.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the device. In the mechanical part, a modular passage structure can be seen that forms a labyrinth 6 where several sensors 1 (which can be optoelectronic) and an image acquisition unit are installed, for example, a video camera 2 ( preferably infrared) corresponding to the monitoring part. Generally, the camcorder 2 can incorporate wireless communication as functionality or it can be coupled with a wireless communication unit 5b . The sensors 1 send a signal when they detect the presence of an animal and communicate, generally in a wired way, with a microcontroller 3 that has a wireless communication unit 5a coupled or incorporated. The microcontroller 3 and the video camera 2 communicate with a receiver unit 15 coupled or incorporated in the remote computer 10 that receives the information and stores it in a storage unit 14 . The remote computer 10 performs an analysis with the information from the sensors 1 and the camcorder 2 . The remote computer 10 receives the signals wirelessly or through wired connections for processing and stores them in the storage unit 14 .

Coupled to the microcontroller 3 , a local memory 4 stores the information obtained from the sensors 1 , either temporarily or permanently. This local memory 4 can be an integrated part of the microcontroller 3 itself or be an additional component. Camcorder 2 stores its own information via a USB device and can also send its information wirelessly to remote computer 10 .

FIG. 2 shows the mechanical structure of labyrinth 6 . Labyrinth 6 is made up of sections 61, 62 and 63 that define straight and curved routes. Preferably, sections 61, 62 and 63 are modular and tubular. The displayed layout can be changed to establish different paths in Maze 6 . Previous tests suggest a tube diameter of about 6 cm for Sprague-Dawley rats of 300-350 g and about 3 cm for Swiss mice of 30-40 g. In general, the diameter of the tubular section is chosen to hinder, but not prevent the animal from changing direction of travel. Additionally, Maze 6 can be arranged with different degrees of inclination to provide accessory signs (inclination slope) if deemed necessary and modify the degree of difficulty of the route.

The labyrinth 6 shown includes two possible entrances through the accesses 62a and 62b preferably opposite to be able to analyze the response of the vibrissae on both sides and three branching sections 63 of the main branch that directly link (without detour) the accesses 62a , 62b converging on a supplementary section 64 in the shape of a central “T”, with an additional upper opening that allows the insertion of a cylinder-shaped housing 65 with a cover 66 (see FIG. 3) where different types of stimuli can be placed . Opposite ports 62a , 62b allow the incorporation of a video camera 2 , preferably infrared, to monitor additional details such as, for example, gestural analysis without disturbing the light conditions of the labyrinth. In some embodiments, the camcorder 2 itself can be used to further block the entrance 62a .

In FIG. 2 also shows sections 61 into which labyrinth 6 is divided. Each section 61 has a presence sensor 1 . Stretches 61 can be manufactured as easily removable tubes to facilitate both cleaning and reconfiguration of labyrinth 6 (different forms of labyrinth). The union of different straight sections 61 , curved sections 62 and bifurcation sections 63 in the shape of a T makes up the different paths of the labyrinth, and therefore the different paths or movements of the animals within it.

FIG 3 shows different embodiments of the cylindrical housing 65 mentioned in the description of FIG. 2, which fits into branch section 64 of labyrinth 6 and can be rotated. This housing 65 has three variants. The first variant 65a has a single lateral opening that allows access from a single branch to the interior of the cylinder or to close the three branches. The second variant 65b has two lateral openings located at 90 ° so as to allow access to the central area from two branches. The third variant has three lateral openings with 90 ° of separation that allows access to the housing 65 from the three branches that converge in the branch section 64. These variants provide greater versatility to the system and allow the experimenter to modify the pitch between the branches converging labyrinth forcing the animal to make different routes. Housing 65 is covered by a removable top cover 66 . Housing 65 also allows sources of attraction (positive stimulus) or repulsion (negative stimulus) for the animal (food, light, drugs ...) to be placed inside. When I do not know includes the cover, the labyrinth has a light entrance through the housing 65 that can be used as an additional source of attraction and can also be used as an exit or entrance for the animal in the labyrinth.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the monitoring and data transmission part according to a possible embodiment. Sensors 1 are connected to a microcontroller 3 that registers when activated. Microcontroller 3 has a wireless communication unit 5a that sends the data to a remote computer (not shown) where the information is analyzed. The set is configured and designed so that it is possible to identify at each moment of the test in which section 61 of the maze 6 the animal is and to record the times in which the animal is detected by each sensor 1 . Each sensor 1 has its position in labyrinth 6 associated .

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the information processing part. It consists of a computer 10 that acts as a server and receives information about the path 18a , information about the environment 18b , information about the experiment 18c that the microcontroller 3 sends from the sensors 1 and from the video camera 2 . The computer processes the information 12, for example, to identify the path sequences and the times used by the animal throughout the test. With the computer 11 the extraction of patterns 16 is achieved. The information is stored in the storage unit 14 .

FIG. 6 shows a possible model of interface 11 with the researcher following a scheme similar to that of FIG. 5. Computer 10 is responsible for storage and analysis and may include interface 11 to display information about path 18a , information about experiment 18c related to the trial such as date, time, run time, experimenter, identification codes of the animal and other parameters that are used in good laboratory practice. Through the interface 11 it is possible to display information about the environment 18b , for example, to recreate online the path of the animal in the upper left and display the data with information about the path 18a on the right side of the screen. The bottom left also shows the user data entry area by the researcher. The system allows the experiment to be reproduced off-line.

In summary, thanks to the present invention, it is possible to analyze quantifiable (non-subjective) variables to carry out objective studies with rigorous statistical analysis.

The configuration is open enough so that the researcher can interact when necessary, collect information related to a specific trial or define different trials.

The system can reproduce the behavior of the animal off-line in the test and recognition of different behavior patterns.

The system analyzes quantifiable (non-subjective) variables that allow objective analyzes for a rigorous statistical study.

Claims (10)

1. System to analyze the behavior of an animal based on vibrissa that includes: a passage structure (6) comprising two accesses (62a, 62b) and a plurality of sections (61,62,63) that allow a variety of different routes to connect the two accesses; multiple presence sensors (1) configured to activate and send a signal when they detect an animal in a section (61,62,63) of the passage structure (6); a microcontroller (3) configured to receive the signal sent by each sensor (1) and generate activation information that includes at least the identification of the activated sensor (1) and activation time, where the identification of the sensor (1) comprises information on the location of the sensor in the passage structure (6); a local memory (4) configured to store the generated activation information; at least one image acquisition device (2) configured to acquire a plurality of images of the animal in the passage structure (6); communication means (5a, 5b) configured to send the activation information and associated acquired images to a remote computer (10). 2. System according to claim 1, wherein the passage structure (6) is tubular. 3. System according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the passage structure (6) is modular, formed by sections (61, 62, 63) coupling together to modify the passage structure (6). System according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the passage structure (6) comprises a supplementary section (64) with access to a stimulus. 5. System according to claim 4, wherein the passage structure (6) further comprises a cover (66) to block access of the supplementary section (64) to the stimulus. 6. System according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the means of communication between the sensors (1) and the microcontroller (3) are performed by wired connection. 7. System according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, wherein the communication means comprise a wireless communication unit (5a) associated with the microcontroller (3). System according to any one of the preceding claims, where the communication means comprise a wireless communication unit (5b) associated with the image acquisition device (2). 9. System according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the image acquisition device (2) is an infrared video camera. 10. System according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensors (1) are optoelectronic.