Enclosure tests animal fear conditioning/startle reflex.
Press Release Summary:
Panlab/Harvard Apparatus StartleFear Combined System is designed for conducting fear conditioning and startle reflex experiments in single enclosure. System includes modular sound attenuating chamber, light source, and sound generator as well as load-sensitive weight transducer. Paradigms can be programmed and tracked using STARTLE and FREEZING modules and software modules allow running of up to 8 chambers simultaneously. All data is displayed in real-time.
Original Press Release:
NEW Startle & Fear Combined System
The Panlab/Harvard Apparatus StartleFear Combined System is designed for conducting both fear conditioning and startle reflex experiments in one enclosure.
This system's load sensitive weight transducer is sensitive enough that it can be used with mice or rats. It is an extremely flexible system, and a powerful research tool for contextual and emotional learning.
The Panlab/Harvard Apparatus Startle and Fear system is easy to modify giving the user great breadth in experimental design. It comes with a sound attenuating chamber, light source and sound generator; options allow user to add shock and/or airpuff for unconditioned aversive stimuli for a variety of experimental conditions.
The chamber itself is modular, with methacrylate walls and transparent door. Different colors and materials can easily be added to vary the tactile and visual elements. Additionally, the testing platform can be removed from the sound attenuating chamber to modify context and test location independence of a conditioned response.
Paradigms can easily be programmed and tracked using STARTLE and FREEZING modules. STARTLE and FREEZING allow the user to set up a choice of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, as well as time gaps between conditioned and unconditioned stimuli for trace conditioning.
The software modules allows for the option of running up to 8 chambers simultaneously with the flexibility to define thresholds for analysis and it can always reanalyze the data using different user defined parameters.
All the data is displayed in real time and allows the user to see freezing versus immobility, maximum amplitude of startle and the time period between startle onset to the maximum, maximum latency to startle onset, and duration of startle responses.
Ease of use, user defined conditions, modular testing chamber, and ability to run multiple set-ups simultaneously make the StartleFear Combined System ideal for testing learning and memory in a wide variety of applications including but not limited to Alzheimer's, Anxiety and Fear research, Schizophrenia, and ADHD.
References available upon request for this system - please contact the Panlab/Harvard Apparatus technical support department for more details.
Harvard Apparatus is a global developer, manufacturer and distributor of innovative and specialized products to enhance bioresearch.
For more information contact:
Harvard Apparatus
84 October Hill Road
Holliston, Massachusetts 01746
Toll Free: 800-272-2775
Phone: 508-893-8999
Fax: 508-429-5732
E-mail: bioscience@harvardapparatus.com
Web: www.harvardapparatus.com
