B E H AV I O R
72 STOELTING CO. 620 Wheat Lane, Wood Dale, Illinois 60191 USA Phone: (630) 860-9700 FAX: (630) 860-9775 This new instrument is an alternative to the Paw Pressure
Analgesia Meter (Randall-Selitto Test), with signifi cant advantages (Bove, et al., 2003. Osteo Cart.). It provides an automatic and reproducible assessment of analgesic effi cacy by measuring the weight distribution of the hind paws of a small animal.
It is a dual channel scale that separately measures the weight the animal distributes to each hind paw. While normal rats distribute weight 50-50, the ratio of weight distribution between an injured and non-injured paw is a natural measure of the level of discomfort in the injured paw, and correlates with the Paw Pressure Analgesia Meter (p. 78-79).
The force exerted by each limb is averaged over a user selectable period thus indicating any tendency for the animal to shift its weight from one side to the other. This provides a quantitative measurement of incapacitance.
The technique of dual channel weight averaging overcomes a number of defi ciencies in the traditional method of pain/
imfl ammation assessment (Randall-Selitto 1957) by presenting continuous monitoring of both limbs and by eliminating the subjectivity of the paw-withdrawal method.
The Incapacitance meter does not require restraint, and provides a value independent of researcher reaction time or subjective judgments about whether the animal has fl inched or not.
Also, it does not involve provoking a pained area to see latency of withdrawal. The animal stands and makes its natural adjustment to the degree of pain.
The Incapacitance Meter is simple to operate and, aside from periodic calibration, requires minimal maintenance. All functions are controlled using the three buttons via menus on the large high-contrast display, or via the optional Meter software.
Incapacitance Analgesia Meter
Test for Measurement of Paw Pain Infl ammation FEATURES
• Averaging Period: 0-255 seconds
• Accurate to 0.1g
• RS232 Output for PC or Printer
• Up to 255 units can be interconnected
• Footswitch provided for hands-free operation
• Large, high contrast display
Incapacitance Meter Software (optional)
The unique Incapacitance Meter Software can be used on a PC with Windows (2000/XP) and allows the user to confi gure experiment details (e.g., experiment header, animal numbers, treatment, etc.) and adjust vaious parameters via the software. This software also has the ability for different user levels, password protected access and an automatically generated audit trail. Raw data is stored in an arbitrary format on the computer’s hard disk; however, a copy of the data can be exported as ASCII format without affecting the original raw data.
See “Pharmacology, Somethetic Assessment, and Behavior Equipment” our website for references.
57210 Incapacitance Meter . . . $7,750.00 57212 Mouse holder for 57210 . . . $440.00 57214 Incapacitance Meter software. . . $2,000.00 For 220V, add a “V” to the catalog number
