Pharmacology animal research cage BX-CPP

for preclinical researchfor micefor rats

Presentation
A standard experimental chamber for automated or manual assessment of conditioned place preference (CPP) and aversion in rodents (rats or mice). The Place Preference Cage is used to screen reinforcing properties of drugs or natural stimuli and to investigate neural systems involved in reward and addiction. The CPP test characterizes the rewarding potential of a drug or condition by measuring preference for an environment previously paired with the tested stimulus.

Operating principle
The apparatus comprises two Perspex compartments of equal size connected by a central grey corridor. Compartments are distinguished by visual and tactile cues: wall colour (white or black) and floor texture (smooth or rough). Transparent front walls can be fitted with removable opaque covers (included). Manually operated sliding doors control access between the corridor and each compartment.

Main features

• Detects putative reinforcing properties of drugs and stimuli
• Based on associative learning (conditioned place preference)
• Versions available for mice and for rats
• Supplied with or without automatic position detection (video tracking or weight transducer)
• Flexible combinations of visual and tactile cues to define compartments
• Weight transducer option optimizes detection in low-contrast conditions
• PC required for automated data storage and analysis
• Up to 8 stations can be connected to a single PC via one cable

Domains of application

• Drug screening and pharmacology
• Studies of compulsive and reward-related behaviors
• Phenotyping of transgenic or mutant animals
• Research on drug dependence and addiction mechanisms

Software and parameters measured
The system can be supplied with automatic position detection (video tracking) or with a weight transducer system paired to PC-based control software (PPCWIN). Measured parameters include:

• Total number of entries into each compartment
• Percentage distribution of entries between compartments
• Time spent in each compartment (permanence time)
• Percentage permanence time relative to total experiment duration
• Chronological sequence of animal displacements

Models

• BX-CPP-M — Automatic conditioned place preference cage for mice (includes software)
• BX-CPP-R — Automatic conditioned place preference cage for rats (includes software)
• LE891 — Standard conditioned place preference cage for mice
• LE890 — Standard conditioned place preference cage for rats
• PPCWIN V2.0 — PPCWIN software for automated boxes (supports up to 8 units)

Technical specifications

• Dimensions — Mice compartments: 100 W x 130 D x 130 H mm; Corridor: 72 W x 72 D x 130 H mm; Doors: 60 W x 60 H mm
• Dimensions — Rats compartments: 300 W x 300 D x 340 H mm; Corridor: 80 W x 100 D x 340 H mm; Doors: 100 W x 140 H mm
• Materials: Perspex
• Power supply: 110/220 V, 50/60 Hz
• Technology: Weight transducers; a single cable connects multiple units to the PC