WO2021093869A1 - Animal operant behavior experimental apparatus and method for using same - Google Patents

Abstract

An animal operant behavior experimental apparatus and a method for using same. The apparatus comprises: a behavior operation panel (10), a buckle being arranged on the operation panel (10), and a behavioral operation device (20) and a signal lamp being arranged on the front surface of the behavior operation panel (10); an external stimulation device (40) giving an external stimulus to an animal in an animal feeding cage (100); and an I/O circuit board, the behavioral operation device (20) being electrically connected to an input end of the I/O circuit board, and the external stimulus device (40) and the signal lamp being respectively electrically connected to an output end of the I/O circuit board. When in use, the apparatus can be fixed and locked to the original animal feeding cage (100) merely by means of the buckle, and there is no need to transfer an animal from the animal feeding cage (100) to a test apparatus, thereby realizing operant behavior training and testing in the independent animal feeding cage (100).

Description

Animal manipulative behavior experiment device and its use method Technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of animal experiment equipment, in particular to an animal manipulative behavior experiment device and a method of use thereof.

Background technique

Manipulative behavior training and testing are widely used in neurobiological research, and can study problems such as learning, memory, reward, anxiety, drug addiction, and motivation. At present, there are relatively mature devices and technologies in rodents, and there are standard operation skinner boxes, while in relatively large animals, such as pigs, dogs, and non-human primates, there are no mature devices.

The existing operation behavior skinner box is widely used in the research of small animals such as rodents, and it is usually necessary to place the animal in the behavior box for training and testing. However, because animals such as pigs, dogs, and non-human primates are relatively large, they cannot be tested using behavioral devices currently on the market.

technical problem

An object of the present invention is to provide an animal manipulative behavior experimental device, which can be applied to the training and testing of large animals' manipulative behavior.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for using an animal-operated sexual behavior experiment device.

Technical solutions

To achieve this objective, on the one hand, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

An experimental device for animal manipulative behaviors, including:

A behavior operation panel, the behavior operation panel is provided with a buckle that can fix the behavior operation panel on the animal breeding cage, and the front of the behavior operation panel is provided with behavior operation equipment and signal lights;

An external stimulation device for giving external stimulation to the animal in the animal breeding cage; and

I/O circuit board, the I/O circuit board is fixedly arranged on the back of the behavior operation panel, the behavior operation device is electrically connected to the input end of the I/O circuit board, the external stimulation device and the The signal lights are respectively electrically connected to the output terminals of the I/O circuit board.

In some embodiments, the behavior operation panel is further provided with a locking member, and the locking member is provided with a slot that can be tightly fitted with the cage bar of the animal breeding cage; and/or,

The signal light includes a first signal light and a second signal light, and the light colors of the first signal light and the second signal light are different.

In some embodiments, the behavioral operation device is connected to the input terminal of the I/O circuit board through a wire, and the external stimulation device and the signal light are respectively connected to the output terminal of the I/O circuit board through a wire. , All the wires are sheathed with metal protective tubes.

In some embodiments, the animal manipulative behavior experiment device further includes a computer, and the computer is electrically connected to the I/O circuit board through a wire, and the wire is sheathed with a metal protective tube.

In some embodiments, the material of the metal protection tube is the same as the material of the animal breeding cage.

In some embodiments, the behavioral operation device is a pressure rod or a nose probe; and/or,

The external stimulation device includes one or more of a drug injection device, a food injection device, a liquid supply device, a plantar electrical stimulation device, a jet stimulation device, an optogenetic stimulation device, and an intracranial electrical stimulation device.

In some embodiments, the I/O circuit board is placed in a first protective box, and the first protective box is fixedly arranged on the back of the behavior operation panel; and/or,

The external stimulation device is placed in a second protective box, and the material of the second protective box is the same as the material of the animal breeding cage.

On the other hand, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

A method for using an animal manipulative behavior experiment device, the method comprising the following steps:

Fix the animal manipulative behavior experiment device to the animal breeding cage;

The first signal light is on, the operator applies a preset action to the behavioral operation device, the external stimulation device outputs a food reward, and the first signal light is off after the reward; repeat it many times;

The first signal light is on, and the animal is induced to perform the predetermined action on the behavioral operation device, repeated multiple times;

The first signal light is on. If the animal applies the predetermined action to the behavioral operation device, the first signal light is off, the second signal light is on, and the external stimulation device outputs a food reward. The second signal light is off; repeated many times;

The first signal light is on, and when the animal continuously applies the preset action for a predetermined number of times to the behavioral operation device, the first signal light is off, the second signal light is on, and the external stimulation device Output food reward, the second signal light goes out after reward; repeat several times;

Set a unit time, and record the number of times the external stimulation device outputs food rewards within a unit time, until the number of times the external stimulation device outputs food rewards within the unit time stabilizes;

After the use is over, the animal manipulative behavior experiment device is removed from the animal breeding cage.

In some embodiments, after the number of times the external stimulation device outputs food rewards within a unit time is stable, the method further includes the following steps:

The food reward of the external stimulation device is replaced with drug injection, plantar electrical stimulation, air jet stimulation, optogenetic stimulation or intracranial electrical stimulation, and animal neural circuits, animal neural mechanisms, and animal behaviors are studied.

In some embodiments, the behavioral operation device is a pressing rod, and the preset action is pressing the pressing rod.

Beneficial effect

The animal manipulative behavior experiment device of the present invention fixes the I/O circuit board on the back of the behavior operation panel to avoid being damaged by animals, and installs behavior operation equipment and signal lights on the front of the behavior operation panel, and can pass external stimulation equipment To give external stimulation to the animals in the animal breeding cage, the device only needs to be fixed and locked to the original animal breeding cage by the ring buckle during use. There is no need to transfer the animal from the animal breeding cage to the test device, which simplifies and facilitates the experimental operation , Realize the operation behavior training and test in the independent animal breeding cage to carry out the research on learning, memory, reward, anxiety, drug addiction and motivation.

The use method of the animal manipulative behavior experimental device of the present invention greatly accelerates the animal's understanding of manipulative training, and the standardized training method improves the animal's coordination under oppressive training. The positive reinforcement and gradual process are greatly improved. It shortens the training time.

Description of the drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of an animal manipulative behavior experiment device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an animal manipulative behavior experiment device and an animal breeding cage provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a flow chart of a method of using an animal operable behavior experiment device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

The best mode of the present invention

In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be more fully described below with reference to the relevant drawings. The drawings show preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the animal manipulative behavior experiment device of an embodiment includes a behavior operation panel 10, an external stimulation device 40, and an I/O circuit board (that is, an input and output circuit board), wherein the behavior operation panel 10 There is a loop buckle that can fix the behavior operation panel 10 on the animal breeding cage 100. The front of the behavior operation panel 10 is provided with behavior operation equipment 20 and signal lights; the external stimulation device 40 is used to give the animals in the animal breeding cage 100 External stimulation; the I/O circuit board is fixedly arranged on the back of the behavior operation panel 10, the behavior operation device 20 is electrically connected to the input end of the I/O circuit board, and the external stimulation device 40 and the signal light are respectively electrically connected to the output of the I/O circuit board end.

In the above animal manipulative behavior experiment device, the I/O circuit board is fixedly arranged on the back of the behavior operation panel 10 to avoid being damaged by animals, and the behavior operation equipment 20 and signal lights are installed on the front of the behavior operation panel 10, and can pass through the outside The stimulation device 40 provides external stimulation to the animals in the animal breeding cage 100. When in use, the device only needs to be fixed and locked (connected) to the original animal breeding cage 100 by a ring buckle. There is no need to transfer the animals from the animal breeding cage 100 to the test. In the device, the experimental operation is simplified and convenient, and the operation behavior training and testing in the independent animal breeding cage 100 is realized to carry out studies on learning, memory, reward, anxiety, drug addiction, and motivation.

It is understandable that the buckle provided on the behavior operation panel 10 can conveniently lock the behavior operation panel 10 on the animal breeding cage 100, and at the same time can effectively avoid being disassembled by some smarter animals. Since the animal manipulative behavior experiment device of the present invention can be directly installed on the animal breeding cage 100, the animal manipulative behavior experiment device can not only realize the behavior training during the experiment period, but also realize the behavior monitoring of the animals 24 hours a day.

Further, the behavior operation panel 10 is also provided with a snap member 11, and the snap member 11 is provided with a card slot adapted to the cage bar of the animal breeding cage 100, and the cage bar of the animal breeding cage 100 can be inserted into the card. In the slot and tightly fit with the card slot. Here, the “cage bar” refers to the bar that constitutes the animal breeding cage 100. By designing the engaging member 11 with the above structure, the connection strength between the behavior operation panel 10 and the animal breeding cage 100 can be further strengthened, and the difficulty of removing the behavior operation panel 10 from the animal breeding cage 100 is increased.

Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the behavior operation panel 10 is rectangular, and two adjacent sides of the behavior operation panel 10 are respectively provided with a snap member 11, when the operation panel 10 needs to be locked on the animal When the rearing cage 100 is installed, the cage bars of the animal rearing cage 100 are clamped in the grooves of the two engaging members 11 respectively, and then the buckles are locked on the animal rearing cage 100.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the I/O circuit board is placed in the first protective box 50, and the first protective box 50 is fixedly arranged on the back of the behavior operation panel 10. The I/O circuit board is placed in the first protective box 50 to further prevent animals from scratching and damaging the I/O circuit board.

In some embodiments, the signal light includes a first signal light 31 and a second signal light 32, and the light colors of the first signal light 31 and the second signal light 32 are different. Signal lights with different light colors can give animals different signals, and animals are trained to make corresponding operating behaviors according to the color of the signal light. Optionally, in this embodiment, the first signal light 31 may be a green light, and the second signal light 32 may be a red light. Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the first signal light 31 and the second signal light 32 may also be lights of other light colors, and are not limited to the above-mentioned green light and red light.

In some embodiments, the behavioral operating device 20 is connected to the input terminal of the I/O circuit board through a wire 60, and the external stimulation device 40 and the signal light are respectively connected to the output terminal of the I/O circuit board through a wire 60. The sleeve is equipped with a metal protective tube. The life of captive animals (such as monkeys) is boring and boring. The animal-operated sexual behavior experiment device greatly improves the various sensory stimulations of the animals. The animals may have a variety of behavior patterns out of boredom, such as disassembly and biting. , Shaking, etc., resulting in damage to the device. Therefore, the present invention can prevent animals from biting the wires 60 by sheathing all the wires 60 with metal protective tubes, thereby ensuring the integrity of the device circuit.

In some embodiments, the animal manipulative behavior experiment device further includes a computer 70, which is electrically connected to the I/O circuit board through a wire 60, and the wire 60 is sheathed with a metal protective tube. The user can use the computer 70 to set device parameters and programs, and use the computer 70 to perform experiment recording and analysis.

In some embodiments, the material of the metal protection tube is the same as the material of the animal breeding cage 100. By using a metal protective tube made of the same material as the animal breeding cage 100, the device circuit (wire) can be hidden, reducing the animal's attention and preventing the animal from biting the wire 60. Optionally, the animal breeding cage 100 usually adopts a steel cage, so the metal protection tube can be a steel pipe made of the same material as the animal breeding cage 100.

In some embodiments, the behavioral operation device 20 is a pressure rod or a nose probe. It is understandable that the behavioral operation device 20 can be selected according to the species of the test animal to be trained. For example, for some animals that like to use their noses to probe objects (such as pigs, dogs, mice, etc.), a nose probe can be set as the behavioral operation device 20. , And for some animals that like to use their limbs to probe objects (such as monkeys, etc.), a pressure bar can be set as a behavioral operation device 20.

Optionally, the external stimulation device 40 includes one or more of a drug injection device, a food injection device, a liquid supply device, a plantar electrical stimulation device, a jet stimulation device, an optogenetic stimulation device, and an intracranial electrical stimulation device. Specifically, the behavior operation panel 10 can be arbitrarily combined with various external stimulation devices 40 to study various animal operation behaviors. Of course, the external stimulation device 40 is not limited to the above-mentioned ones. In other embodiments, other external stimulation devices 40 can also be selected, which can be specifically selected according to the test item and the research direction.

Specifically, the drug injection device is a drug injection pump; the food delivery device is a granular food dispenser; the liquid supply device includes a water outlet pipe controlled by a solenoid valve and a liquid storage device. The liquid can be drinking water or fruit juice and other drinks; plantar electrical stimulation It includes a metal strip at the bottom of the animal breeding cage 100 and an electrical stimulator connected to the metal strip; the jet stimulation device is a compressed gas release device controlled by a solenoid valve; the optogenetic stimulation device is an external laser and its optical fiber; an intracranial electrical stimulation device It is an external electric stimulator and its leads and electrodes.

Optionally, some openings can be opened on the behavior operation panel 10, so as to realize the combination of the behavior operation panel 10 with external stimulation devices 40 such as a liquid supply device, an air jet stimulation device, and a food delivery device.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the external stimulation device 40 is placed in the second protective box, and the material of the second protective box is the same as the material of the animal breeding cage 100. By putting the external stimulation device 40 into the second protective box, to prevent animals from destroying the external stimulation device 40, by using the second protective box made of the same material as the animal breeding cage 100, the second protective box can be hidden. Reduce the animal's attention and prevent the animal from biting and moving the second protective box. Further, the second protective box can be placed at a position higher than the length of the animal's arm to prevent the animal from disassembling. It should be noted that when designing the second protective box, hardware products such as screws should be avoided as much as possible to prevent animals from screwing screws and eating.

As shown in Figure 3, the method for using the above-mentioned animal operational behavior experiment device includes the following steps:

S110: Fix the animal manipulative behavior experiment device to the animal breeding cage 100. Specifically, the behavior operation panel 10 is fixed on the animal breeding cage 100 through the buckle on the behavior operation panel 10, and the external stimulation device 40 is fixed on the top of the breeding cage 100.

S120. The first signal light 31 is on, the operator applies a preset action to the behavioral operation device 20, the external stimulation device 40 outputs a food reward, and the first signal light 31 is off after the reward; repeat several times. In some embodiments, the behavioral operation device 20 is a pressing rod, and the preset action is pressing the pressing rod.

S130. The first signal light 31 is turned on, and the animal is induced to perform a preset action on the behavioral operation device 20, which is repeated multiple times. The purpose of this step is to let the animal know how to apply a preset action to the behavioral operating device 20, and the animal can be induced by food rewards during specific operations.

S140. The first signal light 31 is on. If the animal applies a preset action to the behavioral operation device 20, the first signal light 31 is off, the second signal light 32 is on, and the external stimulation device 40 outputs a food reward, and the second signal light 32 is off after the reward ; Repeat many times. Specifically, step S140 is repeated multiple times until the animal actively uses the behavioral operating device 20 to perform a preset action when the first signal light 31 is on.

S150. The first signal light 31 is on. When the animal continuously applies a preset number of preset actions to the behavioral operation device 20, the first signal light 31 is off, the second signal light 32 is on, and the external stimulation device 40 outputs a food reward. The second signal light 32 is off; repeated multiple times, wherein the preset number is ≥2.

Specifically, step S150 is repeated multiple times until the animal uses the behavioral operation device 20 to perform a preset number of preset actions when the first signal light 31 is on. Optionally, the preset number of times can be set according to specific requirements, which is not limited in the present invention.

S160. Set a unit time, and record the number of times the external stimulation device 40 outputs food rewards within a unit time, until the number of times the external stimulation device 40 outputs food rewards within a unit time is stable. When the number of times the external stimulation device 40 outputs food rewards per unit time is stable, it indicates that the animal has successfully established the preset operating behavior. Therefore, the food rewards of the external stimulation device 40 can be replaced with other stimuli in the future, and the animal nerve ring is performed on the animal. Road, animal nerve mechanism and animal behavior research.

S170. Remove the animal manipulative behavior experiment device from the animal breeding cage 100 after use.

It is understandable that in some other manipulative behavior experiments (such as drug addiction experiments), step S170 can also be omitted, that is, the animal manipulative behavior experiment device is not removed from the animal breeding cage 100 to realize the Conduct 24 hours a day behavior monitoring.

In some embodiments, after the number of times the external stimulation device 40 outputs food rewards per unit time is stable, the method further includes the following steps: S180, replacing the food reward of the external stimulation device 40 with drug injection, plantar electrical stimulation, jet stimulation, Opto-genetic stimulation or intracranial electrical stimulation to study animal neural circuits, animal neural mechanisms and animal behaviors. Since food rewards can better stimulate the animal’s desire to learn, the method of food rewards in the initial test can better help the animal learn a certain operating behavior, so that it can be changed to other stimuli in the later period to develop the animal’s neural circuits and animals. Neural mechanism and animal behavior research.

Taking the animal as a rhesus monkey and the behavioral operating device 20 as a pressing rod as an example, the method of using the above-mentioned animal operating behavior experimental device will be described in detail:

A. Fix the animal manipulative behavior experiment device to the breeding cage of the macaque;

B. The first signal light 31 is on, the operator presses the lever to connect, the external stimulation device 40 outputs a food reward, and the first signal light 31 is off after the reward; repeat several times;

C. The first signal light 31 is on, and the operator presses the pressure rod on the front and back to induce the macaque to press the pressure rod, and repeat it many times so that the macaque learns how to press the pressure rod;

D. The first signal light 31 is on. If the macaque presses the lever, the first signal light 31 is off, the second signal light 32 is on, and the external stimulation device 40 outputs a food reward, and the second signal light 32 is off after the reward; repeat many times until the macaque looks When the first signal light is on, the pressure lever will be actively pressed;

E. The first signal light 31 is on. When the animal continuously presses the pressure bar for a preset number of times (for example, five times), the first signal light 31 is off, the second signal light 32 is on, and the external stimulation device 40 outputs a food reward. The second signal light 32 is off; repeat several times until the macaque sees that the first signal light is on, it will actively press the pressure lever for the preset number of times;

F. Set 10min as the unit time, and record the number of times the external stimulus device 40 outputs food rewards within 10min, 3 times a day for 3 consecutive days, until the number of times the external stimulus device 40 outputs food rewards within 10min is stable;

G. After use, remove the animal manipulative behavior experiment device from the breeding cage of the macaque.

In summary, the use method of the animal manipulative behavior experimental device of the present invention greatly accelerates the animal's understanding of manipulative training, and the standardized training method improves the animal's coordination under oppressive training. The positive reinforcement and gradual process The training time is greatly shortened.

It should be noted that when a part is referred to as being "fixed to" another part, it can be directly on the other part or there may be a central part. When a part is considered to be "connected" to another part, it can be directly connected to the other part or there may be a central part at the same time. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field of the present invention. The terminology used in the specification of the present invention herein is only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and/or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, all possible combinations of the various technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are not described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, All should be considered as the scope of this specification.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present invention, and the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can be made, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims (10)

An animal manipulative behavior experiment device, which is characterized in that it comprises: The behavior operation panel (10), the behavior operation panel (10) is provided with a buckle that can fix the behavior operation panel (10) on the animal cage (100), and the behavior operation panel (10) Behaviour operation equipment (20) and signal lights are provided on the front; An external stimulation device (40) for giving external stimulation to the animals in the animal breeding cage (100); and I/O circuit board, the I/O circuit board is arranged on the back of the behavior operation panel (10), the behavior operation device (20) is electrically connected to the input end of the I/O circuit board, and the The external stimulation device (40) and the signal light are respectively electrically connected to the output end of the I/O circuit board. The animal manipulative behavior experiment device according to claim 1, wherein the behavior operation panel (10) is further provided with an engaging member (11), and the engaging member (11) is provided with The cage bars of the animal breeding cage (100) are tightly matched with the grooves; and/or, The signal light includes a first signal light (31) and a second signal light (32), and the light colors of the first signal light (31) and the second signal light (32) are different. The animal manipulative behavior experiment device according to claim 1, wherein the behavioral operation device (20) is connected to the input end of the I/O circuit board through a wire (60), and the external stimulation device ( 40) and the signal lamp are respectively connected to the output terminals of the I/O circuit board through wires (60), and all the wires (60) are sheathed with metal protection tubes. The animal manipulative behavior experiment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the animal manipulative behavior experiment device further comprises a computer (70), and the computer (70) communicates with the I/O through a wire (60). The circuit board is electrically connected, and the wire (60) is sheathed with a metal protection tube. The animal manipulative behavior experiment device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the material of the metal protection tube is the same as the material of the animal breeding cage (100). The animal manipulative behavior experiment device according to claim 1, wherein the behavior manipulation device (20) is a pressure rod or a nose probe; and/or, The external stimulation device (40) includes one or more of a drug injection device, a food injection device, a liquid supply device, a plantar electrical stimulation device, a jet stimulation device, an optogenetic stimulation device, and an intracranial electrical stimulation device. The animal manipulative behavior experiment device according to claim 1, wherein the I/O circuit board is placed in a first protective box (50), and the first protective box (50) is fixedly arranged in the The back of the behavior operation panel (10); and/or, The external stimulation device (40) is placed in a second protective box, and the material of the second protective box is the same as the material of the animal breeding cage (100). The method for using an animal-operated sexual behavior experiment device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the method comprises the following steps: Fix the animal manipulative behavior experiment device to the animal breeding cage (100); The first signal light (31) is on, the operator applies a preset action to the behavioral operation device (20), the external stimulation device (40) outputs a food reward, and the first signal light (31) goes out after the reward; repeat it many times; The first signal light (31) is on, and the animal is induced to perform the predetermined action on the behavioral operation device (20), and repeated multiple times; The first signal light (31) is on, and if the animal applies the preset action to the behavioral operation device (20), the first signal light (31) is off, and the second signal light (32) is on, And the external stimulation device (40) outputs a food reward, and the second signal light (32) goes out after the reward; repeat several times; The first signal light (31) is on, and when the animal continuously applies the preset action for a predetermined number of times to the behavioral operation device (20), the first signal light (31) is off, and the first signal light (31) is off. The second signal light (32) is on, the external stimulation device (40) outputs a food reward, and the second signal light (32) is off after the reward; repeat several times; Set a unit time, and record the number of times the external stimulation device (40) outputs food rewards within a unit time, until the number of times the external stimulation device (40) outputs food rewards within a unit time is stable; After use, the animal manipulative behavior experiment device is removed from the animal breeding cage (100). The method of using the animal manipulative behavior experiment device according to claim 8, characterized in that, after the number of times the external stimulation device (40) outputs food rewards within a unit time is stabilized, the method further comprises the following steps: The food reward of the external stimulation device (40) is replaced by drug injection, plantar electrical stimulation, air jet stimulation, optogenetic stimulation or intracranial electrical stimulation, and animal neural circuits, animal neural mechanisms and animal behaviors are studied. The method of using an animal-operated sexual behavior experiment device according to claim 8, wherein the behavioral operating device (20) is a pressing rod, and the preset action is pressing the pressing rod.