Circadian Patterns of Rats in Their Home Cages Detected Using a Video Tracking System

10.4077/CJP.2017.BAG508

Kun-Ruey Shieh；Rong-Jie Chen；Shu-Chuan Yang

circadian rhythm ； locomotion ； path analyzer ； phase shifting ； recording

The Chinese Journal of Physiology

60卷6期（2017 / 12 / 31）

313 - 319

英文

The diurnal rhythm is the common event in nature and specially shows in the behavioral patterns. Using the infrared sensor or photo beam detector to detect this 24-h rhythmicity in behaviors of mammalian, including in the rats and mice, is also the common way. The photo-sensory detecting mean is friendly and its advantage is unrestricted by light density and light-dark transition. However, this kind of equipment is cost-expensive and uneasy to fit for home cage in rodents. In this study, we tried to use the video-tracking system to detect the rhythmic activity of rats in their home cages. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 250-280 g, were used in this study and individual was kept in its own cage. Combined with the infrared sensitive charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and with automatically lights-off sensitive infrared illuminants as the accessory device, we found that animals exhibited the circadian locomotor activity in either light-dark cycles or constant darkness conditions. Moreover, the rhythmic patterns of locomotion in animals were affected by the one-hour exposure of white light under the constant darkness condition. The phase-advanced effects were found by the video tracking system. In summary, the video tracking system is the useful way to detect the rhythmic activity, especially in long-term circadian rhythmicity, in rats.

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