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Animal
Mouse, Rat

Plantar Test for Thermal Stimulation - Hargreaves Apparatus

Product Code:37570

In the late ‘80s Dr. Hargreaves invented a method to assess thermal pain sensation in unrestrained rodents by stimulating the single hind paw and thus allowing for unilateral/contralateral experiments. Ugo Basile made a science-grade instrument to perform this stimulation and automatically measure response, it became a gold-standard with more than 2,000 publications in 2022.

A thermal stimulus, generated by a focused light source is applied through a glass pane to the plantar surface of the hind paw of the animal and the response to this stimulus consists of withdrawal of the stimulated paw. Ideal for hyperalgesia measurements.

One model for Mice or Rats and high throughput with enclosures for up to 12 mice or 6 rats.

Model
Optional
This product warranty can be extended up to 24 Additional Months.
Discover more HERE!

Background

  • Thermal withdrawal latency was first described by Hargreaves et al. (1988; see references)
  • Compared to the Hot/Cold plate and to Tail Flick tests unilateral/contralateral experiments with internal control was possible and enabled the researcher to discern a peripherally mediated thermal stimulation

 Automatic detection for accuracy

The Ugo Basile is the only available system which detects paw withdrawal latency automatically (or optionally manually), thanks to a light detector embedded in the control unit. It comes complete with:

  • Emitter/Detector unit with strong and focused infra-red light source invisible to the animal
  • Cross line engraved on the top of the emitter to ease the paw targeting
  • Touch-screen electronic unit to set all parameters (light intensity, thresholds, etc.) and review data
  • Data saving in the electronic unit and in the provided USB stick
  • Data export of the USB stick data into .CSV file for easy analysis in Excel
  • PC software for animal vivarium management
  • Platform with semi-transparent glass panel to avoid animal distraction
  • Animal enclosures for up to 12 mice and 6 rats, fully modular

 

Features

Benefits

Infrared, strong light source Invisible to the animal, which is not distracted and high intensity stimulation for short-lasting experiments (a stimulation should not last more than 10-20 seconds, ideally only a few ones)
Embedded light detection Automated paw withdrawal scoring with no experimenter bias and high accuracy
Optional manual score The user can decide to manually score the paw withdrawal in those cases where the position of the paw is odd and the automatic detection is not possible
Touch screen control unit Seamless configuration of the experiment parameters and easy review of data from the control unit
USB stick data export No need to connect a PC and one-click data export for review in Excel
Modular animal enclosures The dimension of the area available to the animal can be changed so that it is small but the animal is still unrestrained and amount of habituation can be reduced. High throughput: up to 12 mice and 6 rats
General
Command input and readout via 4.3" touch-screen 
Power requirements

Universal input 100-240 VAC, 50-60Hz, 50W

Data Portability via USB flash drive provided
Calibration via appropriate I.R. Radiometer (not included)
Operating Temperature 10° to 40° C, 5% to 95% RH (non-condensing)
Sound Level <54dB

 

Operation

I.R. Intensity Adjustable in the interval 01-99 (in one digit steps)
Latency Time 0.1s steps
Cut off function From 5 to  30 seconds
Measurement mode Manual or Automatic
Start experiment By start icon, push button or TTL input 
Stop experiment By start icon, push button, cut-off, or TTL input
Data export .csv format, from USB key
TTL I/O

Input and output TTL signal

 

Physical

Dimensions 135 (w) x 40 (d) x 50 (h) cm (required space on the table)
Weight 11.0Kg
Packing dimensions 98x49x47cm
Shipping Weight 14Kg approx.

 

Physical animal enclosure setup (internal dimensions)

Mouse 96mm x 96mm x 140mm (h) (max 12 animals)
Rat 96mm x 196 mm x 140mm (h) (max 6 animals)
Fat Rat 196mm x 196 mm x 140mm (h) (max 3 animals)

 

Warranty

Warranty 37570 is covered by a 12-month warranty + 12 after product registration
UB-Care Additional UB-Care can be added for other 12 or 24 months

This plantar test has been used in experiments involving, hyperalgesia, pain sensitization or recovery of thermal pain response following neural injury and regeneration. The test is relatively straight forward and even beginners can master the measurement in a short period of time (Cheah et al. 2017).

Care must be taken to avoid urine and feces on the glass panel, which would alter the experiment results and habituation must be as long as needed for the animals to calm down after the initial exploration phase. Cheah et al. (2017) suggest to perform the habituation and baseline readings 1 week before the start of the experiment.

The amount of space, thanks to the modularity of the animal enclosures, should be adapted to the tendency to move of the strain in use and clear difference exists between rats and mice.

37570 Plantar Test
37570-001 Plantar Test Controller
37570-002 Emitter/Detector Vessel
37000-003 Large Platform
37370-327 4 Supporting column
37000-007 Modular Animal Enclosure
37370-005 Framed Glass Pane
E-WP 008 Main Cable

 

Optional

37300 Heat-Flux I.R. Radiometer
37370-278 Additional Stimulation Base, complete with glass pane and animal enclosure
37100 Set of 2 Durham Holders for Orofacial Stimulation
37370-365 Replacement Bulb for Plantar Test
37570-UBC12 UB Care 12 Additional hardware warranty extension 12 month for Plantar Test
37570-UBC24 UB Care 24 Additional hardware warranty extension 24 month for Plantar Test

Hargreaves K. M.et. al., 1988, "A new and sensitive method for measuring thermal nociception in cutaneous hyperalgesia", Pain

Menghon Cheah et. al., 2017, "Assessment of Thermal Pain Sensation in Rats and Mice Using the Hargreaves Test", Bio Protoc.

Tomoya Tanaka et. al., 2020, "T*riparat*de relieves ovariectomy-induced hyperalgesia in rats, suggesting the involvement of functional regulation in primary sensory neurons by PTH-mediated signaling", Scientific Reports

Shiwu Guo et. al., 2022, "Akt/Aquaporin-4 Signaling Aggravates Neuropathic Pain by Activating Astrocytes after Spinal Nerve Ligation in Rats", Elsevier

Hideaki Nakajima et. al., 2020, "Distribution and polarization of microglia and macrophages at injured sites and the lumbar enlargement after spinal cord injury", Elsevier

Tatsuhiro Fukutoku et. al., 2020, "Sex-Related Differences in Anxiety and Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury in Mice", Journal of Neurotrauma

Haiwang Ji et. al., 2020, "A Mouse Model of Cancer Induced Bone Pain: From Pain to Movement", Front. Behav. Neurosci.

 

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