TailTimer: A device for automating data collection in the rodent tail immersion assay.

ABSTRACT: The tail immersion assay is a widely used method for measuring acute thermal pain in a way which is quantifiable and reproducible. It is non-invasive and measures response to a stimulus that may be encountered by an animal in its natural environment. However, quantification of tail withdrawal latency relies on manual timing of tail flick using a stopwatch, and precise temperatures of the water at the time of measurement are most often not recorded. These two factors greatly reduce the reproducibility of tail immersion assay data and likely contribute to some of the discrepancies present among relevant literature. We designed a device, TailTimer, which uses a Raspberry Pi single-board computer, a digital temperature sensor, and two electrical wires, to automatically record tail withdrawal l

SUBMITTER: Udell ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8375991 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature