Device for examination of feeding behaviour in animal experiment

FIELD: veterinary medicine.

SUBSTANCE: device comprises the starting and working compartments equipped with feeders for feeding liquid food. The means of automated feeding food comprise a computer, a capacitive sensor, a pulse shaper and a solenoid. The means of automated registration comprise infrared and strain-gauge sensors, a bridge circuit, a multi-channel amplifier, and a recorder. The feeders are made in the form of bars with recesses for food. The feeder is equipped with removable inserts comprising feed recesses of smaller sizes. The recesses of the feeder are equipped with removable inserts that imitate the type and amount of feed placed in the recesses. In the starting and working compartments the infrared sensors are mounted, the capacitive sensor is placed in the central recess, and the strain-gauge sensors are placed in the recesses of the feeders. The sensors are connected in series with a multi-channel amplifier and the recorder providing registration of time of running to the feeders and the amount of feed that is fed and eaten. The computer by means of the automated feeding food provides changing the amount of the feed supplied and the time intervals between meals fed separately.

EFFECT: improved accuracy and automation of the pilot testing.

3 dwg

The invention relates to physiology and experimental medicine.

Known devices for studies of feeding behavior in animals and the associated level of food motivation by alternative choices subjects required feeders with food, with various attractive taste. Closest to the claimed device analog is a device, which includes a launch Bay for the subjects and the work compartment with feeders for the test liquid food (Smith 1995; Willner e.a., 1990 - the prototype device). This device gives the opportunity to assess food preference and level of motivation of the subjects, based only on orosensory the reception of taste stimuli located in the oral cavity.

The disadvantages of this device are:

1. The device does not allow the submission of test subjects of food in a discrete, spatially distributed form.

2. The device makes it possible to exhibit the distant natural stimuli presented to subjects of food.

3. The device does not allow you to adjust the amount fed in feeders of food in the experiment.

4. The device does not allow to record the times the pace of the subjects to the feeder with food.

5. The device does not allow to split a single food act on the number of individual performed sequentially behavioral reactions to food products.

6. The device does not allow automated registration total amount of food eaten and the amount of food eaten subjects in a separate loci feeders.

7. The device does not allow to investigate the influence of the touch signals on the formation of food motivation.

8. The device does not allow to study the functional role of primary conditioned reflex reinforcement on food preference and level of motivation of the subjects.

9. The device does not provide the possibility to study the dynamics of formation of the motivational process from the moment of perception distant sensory stimulus, signaling the meal, before the act of consumption.

10. The device does not allow one to investigate how the process of dividing one food act on a number of separate, sequentially executable food reactions, effect on food preference and motivation of the subjects.

11. The device does not allow to model in animal experiments the formation of physiological dependence subjects from sensory properties required of the test food stimuli.

12. The device does not allow to investigate the physiological mechanisms underlying preferences of food in a conflict situation - a decline in the actual amount of food eaten by the increasing attractive properties raise is my subject of food.

The purpose of the invention is to improve the precision of the experimental testing of eating behavior in experimental animals, to extend the class to be solved by the device of tasks by expanding the operational capabilities of the device, to automate the testing procedure.

The essence of the device for the study of eating behavior in the experiment on animals, contains the starting and working compartments, equipped with a feeder for feeding liquid food, is that it introduced automated meal containing a computer, a capacitive sensor, a pulse shaper and a solenoid, and means automated registration containing infrared and strain gauges, bridge circuit, a multichannel amplifier and recorder, while the feeders are made in the form of bars, made of opaque water-resistant material, the upper face of which contains several rows of recesses for placement of food, having equal dimensions and are made in the form of cylindrical holes with a hemispherical bases, provided with recesses communicating with each other pipelines, and the feed - through channel, which is located coaxially to the input in the Central recess, and pisarovina fitting made with the possibility of movement on the cross-channel to connect with telling what I'm pipelines feeding or for a stand-alone connection with a Central recess, in addition, the feeder is equipped with removable inserts of opaque water-resistant material containing food deepening with less as compared with the initial grooves of the feeder size, deepening of the trough is provided with a detachable liners, made of water-resistant material that mimic the type and amount invested in deepening food and pisharoty fitting connected with food tank, equipped with a solenoid associated with the pulse shaper, the computer and the Registrar, in the starting and working compartments installed infrared sensors, a Central recess posted capacitive sensor, and in the recesses of the feeder - strain gauges, sensors are connected with a multichannel amplifier and the Registrar providing the registration time pace to the feeder and the amount fed and eaten the food, and the computer by means of an automated meal provides resizing requirements of food and time intervals between the separately supplied portions.

Figure 1 shows a General diagram of the inventive device, where

1. The starting compartment.

2. Valve starter compartment.

3. Working compartments.

4. Feeders with grooves filled with the test liquid food.

5. Infrared (IFC) sensors.

6. Capacitive sensor

Figure 2 on Asano device manger. A - top view; B - longitudinal section of the feeder, where

7. Case feeder.

8. The grooves on the top face of the feeder to accommodate food.

9. Load cell.

10. The screws fixation.

11. Removable perforated insert, provided with food grooves.

12. Connecting lines.

13. End-to-end channel for placing timeprovider fitting.

14. Pisharoty fitting.

Figure 3 given the block diagram of the automated recording motivated conditioned food-procuring behavior (the names of the devices shown in the diagram, arrows indicate the flow of the liquid food in the food reservoir and its subsequent submission to the food deepening trough).

In figure 1, 2, 3 shows the design of the device containing the starting compartment 1, is equipped with a closing valve 2, and 3 working compartments with feeder 4 for feeding the test liquid food. Starter 1 and work 3 compartments equipped with IFC sensor 5, the locking time from the start of the test compartment 1 and the choice of the working compartment 3 with the preferred food. Feeders 4, 6 are made in the form of bars, made of opaque water-resistant material. The top face of the feeders contains several rows of recesses 8 for placement of food that is made in the form of cylindrical holes with a hemispherical bases having in which all loci are equal sizes. The front edge of the Central locus of the feeders are equipped with a capacitive sensor 6, and the rear edge of loci feeders strain sensors 9. Food loci feeders equipped with communicating with each other by pipes 12 and threaded through the channel 13 and pisarovina fitting 14, which supply the liquid food in the deepening trough. The feeder also includes a removable perforated inserts 11. The insert is made of perforated opaque water-resistant material that contain food deepening reduced as compared with the initial grooves of the feeder size. The feeder also features a removable liners made of water-resistant material that mimic the type and amount invested in deepening food. The device is equipped with automated feed food that contains the computer, the capacitive sensor 6, the pulse shaper and the solenoid, and means automated registration, containing 5 infrared and strain 9 sensors, bridge circuit, a multichannel amplifier and recorder. Pisharoty fitting 14 of the feeder is connected with food tank, equipped with a solenoid, which is connected to the pulse shaper, the computer and the Registrar. The starting compartment and working compartments of the device is equipped with 5 infrared sensor is mi, food deepening trough - strain sensors 9 and bridge, and the Central recess of the feeder is also equipped with a capacitive sensor 6. The sensors are connected with a multichannel amplifier and recorder, which allow you to register the time of pace to the feeder and the quantity of supplied and consumed the test meal, and the computer is equipped with software and hardware that allows you to change the size requirements of the food and the time intervals between the separately supplied portions.

The operating procedure of the device.

Before carrying out a test of eating behavior establish constructive elements of the feeder in accordance with the selected mode of serving food, feeding in the working compartments charge the same composition liquid food. The examinee is placed in the starting compartment and give the opportunity several times to visit both the working compartment. Include devices (recorder, amplifiers connected with infrared sensors, bridge circuit with a load cell, a solenoid, a pulse shaper, a computer), designed for automated submission of test food and recording motivated conditioned food-procuring behavior of the examinee. When testing food preferences and motivation give the subject the opportunity to visit only one of the compartments with pre who revered the test mode meal. When used in experiment discrete time mode meal size, food requirements and the time intervals between the separately supplied portions are regulated by the solenoid using the software and hardware installed on the computer that is included with the device.

Feeders filled with food equal volume of the same composition and concentration, which have in the same size as the food grooves of the two feeders, spaced from each other at a distance that requires for eating food in the adjacent recess, terminating the current food act and change the position of the examinee. In one trough the entire volume of food served in one food deepening, located in the center of the feeder, without separation into individual portions, and the alternative supplied trough the same amount of food distributed evenly in multiple, adjacent food recesses, which are clearly visible to subjects at the approach to the trough. Food preference and level of food motivation in subjects assessed by the number of choices feeders with different modes of supply of food, speed of pace to the feeder and the amount of eaten food that is necessary for saturation of selecting a preferred mode of the meal.

The device allows you to explore food preference and level of motivation of the test at different the modes of meal:

1. The amount of food in the tested feeders decrease or increase while maintaining the original geometry of the portions of food in the pockets of the feeder.

2. Food place in the food recesses feeders made with the possibility to eat the entire volume of the test presented in the trough of food from one of the cavities without approach to neighbouring food recesses feeders.

3. Food placed in the Central recess of the trough, served in discrete time mode, a separate equal portions, with the possibility of changing the time interval between discrete portions of food served.

4. Food in the alternative submitted a manger lay in one, centrally located recess, and the remaining loci food is replaced with artificially made inserts that mimic the form and amount of the test food.

The test devices were carried out in experiments on rats, Long-Evans, trained to select one of the two feeders, which contained equal amounts and composition of food (e.g. milk), but were shown to subjects in different ways: one enemy - one piece (without division into parts), in alternative supplied to the trough in fractional form (spatially divided into separate, adjacent equal parts).

It is shown that the experimental animals in 5-15% of the samples give the fields is their choice reinforcements placed in the trough in one piece without dividing into parts, and 85-95% is equal to the volume of the reinforcement requirements at the same time, in fractional form. Animals chosen fractional mode reinforcements marked increase in the rate of pace to the selected feeder and the increase in the total amount of food eaten, the necessary test for saturation, which testified to experiment by changing the current level of motivation of the subjects. The predominant preference of food selection with fractional reinforcement (75-90% of samples) were preserved in animals with a significant reduction of the volume of food in the trough with fractional reinforcement compared to the other tested trough. It is shown that the proportional increase in the rate of pace to the feeder and the amount of food eaten examinees food from the volume of food in the feeder controlled by the experimenter. The subjects were also preserved preference to the selection of feeders with discrete mode meal, despite the opportunity to eat the entire volume of food from one of deepening connected with the neighboring food deepening connecting pipelines, or replace food in the adjacent recesses artificial liners, simulating the geometrical dimensions and the number of test food.

The advantages of the proposed device:

1. The device allows Khujand is indeed supply of test subjects of food in a discrete, spatially distributed form due to the fact that the feeding device is made in the form of bars, made of opaque water-resistant material, the upper face of which contains several rows of recesses to accommodate food that is made in the form of cylindrical holes with a hemispherical bases with all feeders equal size.

2. The device gives the opportunity to exhibit distant existing natural stimuli presented to subjects of food due to the fact that the feeders are equipped with several arranged in a row recesses containing food, good visible subjects in the approach to the feeder, as well as deepening trough has a well visible artificial liners made from moisture-resistant material that mimic the test subjects for the food.

3. The device allows you to adjust the amount fed in feeders of food during the experiment due to the fact that the feeding device is equipped with a removable perforated inserts made of opaque water-resistant material that contain deepening reduced compared to the original food recesses feeders, size.

4. The device allows subjects to eat the entire amount placed in the trough of liquid food from one of deepening food is of really no approach to the adjacent recesses by what food deepening trough provided with communicating with each other through a horizontal pipeline.

5. The device allows you to record the time the pace of the subjects to the feeder with food due to the fact that the starting and working compartments of the device is equipped with an infrared sensor connected to the amplifier and recorder for counting time pace subjects to the feeder with food.

6. The device allows for the automated supply of liquid food in the deepening of the trough due to the fact that the feeder is supplied through a channel located coaxially to input into the Central recess of the trough, and pisarovina fitting, made accessible for connection to connecting piping feeders.

7. The device allows for discrete time the supply of liquid food in the Central recess of the trough due to the fact that the feeder is supplied through a channel located coaxially to input into the Central recess of the trough, and pisarovina fitting, made accessible, for an isolated connection to the Central locus of the feeder, while the fitting is connected with food tank, equipped with a solenoid, which is connected to the pulse shaper, the computer and the logger.

8. The device allows for automated R the registration of the total food eaten, the quantity of food eaten subjects in some food recesses feeders, as well as to record the number of conditioned food-procuring movements carried out by the subjects at the approach to the empty recesses and grooves, fitted with inserts that mimic food requirements. This is ensured by the fact that food deepening trough equipped with a load cell connected to the bridge circuit, amplifier and recorder for counting the number carried out by the subjects of conditioned food-procuring listennig movements.

9. The device gives the possibility to investigate the influence of the distant operating the touch signals on the formation of food-motivated due to the fact that the feeders are in charge of food equal volume of the same composition and concentration, which have in the same size as the food recesses feeders, and in one trough the entire volume of food served in one recess located in the center of the feeder, without separation into individual portions, and the alternative feed feeders, the same amount of food distributed evenly in multiple, adjacent recesses containing food, good visible subjects in the approach to the trough.

10. The device allows to study the functional role of primary conditioned reflex reinforcement on food preference and level of motivation of the subjects. This is what provides the, the volume requirements of food distributed evenly in multiple, adjacent recesses containing food, good visible subjects in the approach to the feeder, or lay in the hollows visible ear, imitating the test subjects for the food.

11. The device provides the possibility to study the dynamics of formation of the motivational process from the moment of perception distant sensory stimulus, signaling the meal, until the end of her act of eating. This is ensured by the fact that food is present in the cavities of the bird feeders made with the possibility to eat the entire volume of the test presented in the trough of food from one food without deepening approach to the adjacent grooves of the feeder.

12. The device gives the opportunity to explore how the process of dividing one food act on a number of separate, sequentially executable food reactions affect food preference and motivation of the subjects. This is ensured by the fact that in one trough the entire volume of food served in one recess located in the center of the feeder, without separation into individual portions, and the alternative feed feeders, the same amount of food distributed evenly in multiple, adjacent recesses containing food, good visible subjects at the approach of the trough, while publisherpolicy from each other at a distance, requires for eating food in the adjacent recess terminating the current food act and change the position of the examinee.

13. The device allows you to explore the physiological mechanisms underlying preferences of food in a conflict situation - a decline in the actual amount of food eaten in the tested samples against the background of increasing attractive properties required of the test food. This is ensured by the fact that the amount of food in the tested feeders reduce while maintaining the original geometry of the portions of food in the recesses or replace food in the grooves on the ear, imitating the number and type of test food.

14. The device allows testing of subjects in spatially discrete mode. This is provided by the fact that alternative feed feeders distribute food evenly in several of the same size, adjacent recesses containing food, good visible subjects in the approach to the feeder, the deepening of the trough spaced from each other at a distance that requires for eating food in the neighbouring deepening trough end the current food act and change the position of the examinee.

15. The device allows to test subjects in discrete time mode due to the fact that the food is served in the Central the deepening trough separate equal portions, with the possibility of changing the time interval between discrete portions of food served.

16. The device allows to model in animal experiments the formation of physiological dependence subjects from sensory properties required of the test food. This is ensured by the fact that the attractive properties required of the test food is determined not by the composition and concentration of the test food, and change the experimenter its sensory properties, perceived subjects: in one trough the entire volume of food served in one recess located in the center of the feeder, without separation into individual portions, and the alternative feed feeders, the same amount of food distributed evenly in multiple, adjacent recesses containing food, good visible subjects at the approach of the trough, while the volume of food in the test feeders decrease or increase while maintaining the geometric dimensions of the portions of food in the pockets of the feeder.

SOURCES of INFORMATION

1. Smith G.P. Dopamine and Food Reward // Progress in Neurobiology and Physiological Psychology, 1995, v.16: pp.83-144.

2. Willner P., Papp M., Phillips G., Malesh M., R. Muskat Pimozide does not impair sweetness discrimination//Psychopharmacology, 1990, 102 (2). pp.272-282 (device - prototype).

The device for the study of eating behavior in the experiment on animals, contains the starting and working compartments, equipped with a feeder and for delivery of liquid food, characterized in that it introduced automated meal containing a computer, a capacitive sensor, a pulse shaper and a solenoid, and means automated registration containing infrared and strain gauges, bridge circuit, a multichannel amplifier and recorder, while the feeders are made in the form of bars, made of opaque water-resistant material, the upper face of which contains several rows of recesses for placement of food, having equal dimensions and are made in the form of cylindrical holes with a hemispherical bases, provided with recesses communicating with each other pipelines, and the feed - through channel, which is located coaxially to the input the Central recess, and pisarovina fitting made with the possibility of movement on the cross-channel for connection to connecting piping feeders or for a stand-alone connection with a Central recess, in addition, the feeder is equipped with removable inserts of opaque water-resistant material containing food deepening with smaller, compared to the original grooves feeders, size, deepening of the trough is provided with a detachable liners made of water-resistant material that mimic the type and amount pledged in coal the consumption of food, and pisharoty fitting connected with food tank, equipped with a solenoid associated with the pulse shaper, the computer and the Registrar, in the starting and working compartments installed infrared sensors, a Central recess posted capacitive sensor, and in the recesses of the feeder - strain gauges, sensors are connected with a multichannel amplifier and the Registrar providing the registration time pace to the feeder and the amount fed and eaten the food, and the computer by means of an automated meal provides resizing requirements of food and time intervals between the separately supplied portions.