A novel open field activity detector to determine spatial and temporal movement of laboratory animals after injury and disease

The wide range of tests for laboratory animal behavior after neurological injury or disease each have their benefits and detriments. The varied behavior an animal exhibits makes it difficult to decide which test to use. However, a fundamental instinct for the laboratory animal is to explore when placed in a new environment. A way to test exploratory behavior is in the open field. Here, we introduce a simple activity box without the use of video equipment to determine the exploratory movement of a rat after traumatic brain injury. The activity box is an open field and the rat explores its surroundings when placed inside. Four infrared beams were placed in both the X and Y-axis inside the box. Using a novel system to determine which beam the rat breaks, we describe where the rat is in space and time while in the activity box. Other models can show the number of beams broken, but here we elucidate the methods to additionally determine the amount of area explored, the total distance traveled by the rat and percent time exploring. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.