Device for rat spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain assessment

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of crossing of neuroscience and biomedical engineering, and particularly relates to a device for rat spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain assessment, which comprises a supporting device, a plurality of breeding boxes are uniformly arranged on the supporting device, the bottoms of the breeding boxes are arranged to be net-shaped bottom surfaces, and the net-shaped bottom surfaces are arranged on the supporting device. The net-shaped bottom surface is used for a mechanical pain detection pen to test the mechanical pain behavior of a rat, a fixing plate is arranged on one side of the supporting device, an electrical stimulator is arranged on the fixing plate, the electrical stimulator is connected with a converter, the converter is connected with multiple sets of in-vitro extension wires, the in-vitro extension wires are connected with positive and negative electrodes in the rat, and the positive and negative electrodes are connected with a battery. The in-vitro extension wire and the electrical stimulator are connected only through the converter, the structure is compact, operation is easy and convenient, the rat can freely move in the breeding box, compared with a traditional fixing frame for fixing the rat, stress in the rat moving process is avoided, spinal cord electrical stimulation experiments and pain behavioral evaluation can be conducted at the same time, and the experiment efficiency is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of neuroscience and biomedical engineering, and particularly relates to a device for spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain evaluation of rats. BACKGROUND

[0002] Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) is a kind of neuromodulation therapy, which blocks the transmission of pain signals to the brain by stimulating the spinal cord with electrical current from an implanted electrode, thereby regulating the sensation of pain. In recent years, it has shown significant efficacy in the treatment of chronic pain, especially neuropathic pain.

[0003] In the basic research related to spinal cord electrical stimulation, long-term continuous intervention is often required, and the pain behavior of the rats needs to be repeatedly evaluated. Traditional experimental equipment often separates electrical stimulation and behavioral evaluation, and requires the experimenter to closely observe to prevent the rats from damaging the lead, which not only increases the complexity of the experiment and the burden of the experimenter, but also may lead to inaccuracy of the data. SUMMARY

[0004] The application provides a device for spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain evaluation of rats to solve the problem of low experimental efficiency caused by the inability to simultaneously evaluate the spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain of rats.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the application adopts the following technical scheme: A device for spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain evaluation of rats, comprising a support device, a plurality of breeding boxes are uniformly arranged on the support device, the breeding boxes are all set to be transparent, the bottom of the breeding box is set to be a mesh bottom surface, the mesh bottom surface is used for mechanical pain detection pen to test the mechanical pain behavior of rats, a fixed plate is arranged on one side of the support device, an electrical stimulator is arranged on the fixed plate, the electrical stimulator is connected with a converter, the converter is connected with a plurality of groups of extracorporeal extension leads, each group of extracorporeal extension leads passes through one breeding box, a rat is placed in the breeding box, the extracorporeal extension leads are connected with positive and negative electrodes in the rat; the converter comprises an insulating shell, a plurality of probes are fixedly installed on the insulating shell, the plurality of probes are uniformly arranged, one end of the plurality of probes corresponds to the contacts of the electrical stimulator one by one, the other end of the probe is connected with a plurality of extracorporeal extension leads, and each extracorporeal extension lead is divided into a positive electrode lead and a negative electrode lead.

[0006] Further, the support device comprises a bottom support, a plurality of breeding boxes are uniformly arranged on the bottom support, a hanging beam is fixedly installed on one side of the upper surface of the bottom support, a plurality of fixing holes are arranged on the hanging beam, the fixing holes correspond to the breeding boxes one by one, one end of a spring wire is fixedly connected to the fixing hole, the other end of the spring wire is fixedly connected to the extracorporeal extension wire close to the middle and lower part of the rat, the length ratio of the extracorporeal extension wire between the fixing hole and the spring wire is 2:1, and the extracorporeal extension wire is stretched through the spring wire.

[0007] Further, the breeding box comprises an outer wall, a box body is sleeved in the outer wall, and the outer wall and the box body are slidably connected.

[0008] Further, one end of the extracorporeal extension wire close to the rat is provided with a protective cover.

[0009] Further, the upper surface of the outer wall is provided with a T-shaped track, the T-shaped track is used for movement of the extracorporeal extension wire when the rat moves, and the upper surface of the outer wall is provided with a circular through hole, and the circular through hole is used for feeding the rat.

[0010] Further, the outer wall is provided with a red light shield plate, so that the interference of the external environment on the rat is prevented, and experimental data deviation is caused.

[0011] Further, a feces collection disc is arranged below the breeding box, and the feces collection disc is clamped at the lower part of the bottom support.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages: 1. The present application only connects the extracorporeal extension wire and the electric stimulator through the converter, the structure is compact, the operation is simple, the rat can freely move in the breeding box, compared with the traditional fixed frame for fixing the rat, the stimulation to the animal is reduced, the stress in the process of moving the rat is avoided, and the spinal cord electric stimulation experiment and the pain behavior evaluation can be carried out at the same time, and the experimental efficiency is improved.

[0013] 2. The present application is provided with a protective cover on the extracorporeal extension wire close to the rat, which prevents the rat from biting the extracorporeal extension wire and plays a protective role.

[0014] 3. The present application is provided with a feces collection disc below the breeding box, which is convenient for artificial cleaning and maintains the cleanliness of the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 The present application is a structural schematic view; Figure 2 The present application is a structural schematic view; Figure 3The structural schematic diagram of the converter of the present application; Figure 4 The experimental data of the present application; In the figure, the support device 1, the breeding box 2, the mesh bottom surface 3, the fixed plate 4, the electric stimulator 5, the converter 6, the external extension wire 7, the bottom support 8, the suspension beam 9, the fixed hole 10, the spring wire 11, the outer wall 12, the box body 13, the handle 14, the “T” type track 15, the circular through hole 16, the excrement collection disc 17, the insulating shell 18, the probe 19. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In order to further illustrate the technical scheme of the present application, the present application is further illustrated by examples below. EXAMPLE

[0017] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a device for evaluating the spinal cord electric stimulation and mechanical pain of rats, comprising a support device 1, the support device 1 comprising a bottom support 8, a plurality of breeding boxes 2 are uniformly arranged on the bottom support 8, a suspension beam 9 is fixedly installed on one side of the upper surface of the bottom support 8, six fixed holes 10 are provided on the suspension beam 9, the fixed holes 10 correspond to the breeding boxes 2 one by one, one end of the spring wire 11 is fixedly connected to the fixed hole 10, the other end of the spring wire 11 is fixedly connected to the external extension wire 7 close to the middle and lower part of the rat, the length ratio of the external extension wire 7 between the fixed hole 10 and the spring wire 11 to the length of the spring wire 11 is set to 2:1, the external extension wire 7 is stretched through the spring wire 11, six breeding boxes 2 are uniformly arranged on the support device 1, the six breeding boxes 2 are all provided in a transparent shape, the bottom of the breeding box 2 is provided as a mesh bottom surface 3, the mesh bottom surface 3 is used for mechanical pain detection pen to test the mechanical pain behavior of rats, a fixed plate 4 is provided on one side of the support device 1, an electric stimulator 5 is provided on the fixed plate 4, the electric stimulator 5 is connected to a converter 6, the converter 6 is connected to four groups of external extension wires 7, each group of external extension wires 7 passes through one breeding box 2, a rat is placed in the breeding box 2, the external extension wire 7 is connected to the positive and negative electrodes in the rat, the breeding box 2 comprises an outer wall 12, the outer wall 12 is sleeved with a box body 13, the outer wall 12 and the box body 13 are slidingly connected, a handle 14 is provided on one end face of the box body 13.

[0018] As shown in Figure 3As shown, the converter 6 comprises an insulating shell 18, eight probes 19 are fixedly installed on the insulating shell 18, the eight probes 19 are uniformly arranged, one end of the eight probes 19 corresponds to the contacts of the electric stimulator 5 one by one, and the other end of the probe 19 is connected with four groups of external extension wires 7, each group of the external extension wires 7 is divided into a positive wire and a negative wire, and a protective cover is arranged at the end of the external extension wire 7 close to the rat.

[0019] The upper surface of the outer wall 12 is provided with a "T"-shaped track 15 for the movement of the external extension wire 7 when the rat moves, the upper surface of the outer wall 12 is provided with a circular through hole 16 for feeding the rat, and the outer wall 12 is provided with a red light shield plate to prevent the external environment from interfering with the rat and causing experimental data deviation, and a feces collecting tray 17 is arranged below the breeding box 2 and clamped at the lower part of the bottom support 8.

[0020] Workflow: First, the rats one week after establishing the chronic constriction injury model (CCI) of the sciatic nerve are used to judge whether the modeling is successful through the above pain behavior detection; after the CCI model is successfully established, the rat is subjected to a spinal cord electrode implantation operation; before starting the spinal cord electric stimulation intervention, the pain behavior detection is used to judge whether the electrode implantation operation itself affects the pain threshold of the rat; after the converter 6 is connected with the electric stimulator 5, the external extension wire 7 above each breeding box 2 is connected with the corresponding electrode interface exposed on the back of the rat, the spring wire 11 is adjusted to keep a certain tension of the external extension wire 7 connected with the rat, and the external extension wire 7 is passed through the "T"-shaped track of the breeding box 2; after the rat in the breeding box 2 is quiet, the stimulation parameters are set as: pulse width: 200us, frequency: 50Hz, stimulation intensity: 50% motion threshold, and the spinal cord electric stimulation treatment is performed for 8 hours; the device can be used to measure the mechanical pain threshold of the left hind foot of the rat at 4 hours of spinal cord electric stimulation treatment and 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 days after the treatment, the rat can be placed in the device throughout the experiment, can freely move, freely drink and eat, and until the experiment is completed, after the experiment is completed, the feces collecting tray 17 is cleaned, and the influence of the environment and human beings on the rat is greatly reduced.

[0021] As shown in the figure, Figure 4As shown, the results can be seen that the application of spinal cord electrical stimulation treatment can alleviate the mechanical hyperalgesia in rats, analgesic effect is remarkable. When the spinal cord electrical stimulation treatment is stopped, the mechanical hyperalgesia in rats gradually recovers to the level before treatment, indicating that the analgesic effect gradually disappears after stopping the spinal cord electrical stimulation treatment; PWT represents the mechanical withdrawal threshold, basal represents the basal pain threshold, CCI is chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve, SCS is spinal cord electrical stimulation, sham CCI is sham chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve (only expose the sciatic nerve without ligation), sham SCS is sham spinal cord electrical stimulation (only implant electrodes without electricity), the number of rats in each experimental group is marked in the brackets behind. Embodiments

[0022] In this embodiment, sixteen probes 19 are fixedly installed on the insulating shell 18, one end of the sixteen probes 19 corresponds to the contacts of the electrical stimulator 5 one by one, and the other end of the sixteen probes 19 is connected with eight groups of extracorporeal extension wires 7.

[0023] The main features and advantages of the present application are shown and described above, it is obvious for those skilled in the art that the present application is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the present application can be realized in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present application. Therefore, no matter from which point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting, the scope of the present application is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, therefore all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are intended to be included in the present application.

[0024] In addition, it should be understood that although the present specification is described in terms of embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution, the description manner of the specification is only for the sake of clarity, those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be properly combined to form other embodiments which can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A device for electrical stimulation of the spinal cord and mechanical pain assessment in rats, characterized by: The invention comprises a support device (1), wherein a plurality of breeding boxes (2) are evenly arranged on the support device (1), wherein the breeding boxes (2) are all transparent, and the bottom of the breeding box (2) is a mesh bottom surface (3), wherein the mesh bottom surface (3) is used for a mechanical pain detection pen to test the mechanical pain behavior of rats, and a fixing plate (4) is provided on one side of the support device (1), wherein an electric stimulator (5) is provided on the fixing plate (4), wherein the electric stimulator (5) is connected to a converter (6), wherein the converter (6) is connected to a plurality of groups of external extension wires (7), wherein each group of the external extension wires (7) passes through a breeding box (2), wherein a rat is placed in the breeding box (2), and wherein the external extension wires (7) are connected to positive and negative electrodes in the rat body; The converter (6) includes an insulating shell (18), on which a plurality of probes (19) are fixedly mounted. The plurality of probes (19) are evenly arranged, and one end of the plurality of probes (19) corresponds one-to-one to the contact of the electrical stimulator (5). The other end of the probe (19) is connected to a plurality of external extension wires (7), and each of the external extension wires (7) is divided into a positive wire and a negative wire.

2. The device for spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain assessment in rats according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support device (1) includes a bottom bracket (8), a plurality of breeding boxes (2) are evenly arranged on the bottom bracket (8), a suspension beam (9) is fixedly installed on one side of the upper surface of the bottom bracket (8), and a plurality of fixing holes (10) are provided on the suspension beam (9), and the fixing holes (10) correspond to the breeding boxes (2) one by one. One end of a spring wire (11) is fixedly connected to the fixing hole (10), and the external extension wire (7) is fixedly connected to the other end of the spring wire (11) near the middle and lower part of the rat. The length ratio of the external extension wire (7) between the fixing hole (10) and the spring wire (11) to the length of the spring wire (11) is set to 2:1, and the external extension wire (7) is stretched by the spring wire (11).

3. The device for spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain assessment in rats according to claim 2, characterized in that: The breeding box (2) comprises an outer wall (12), a box body (13) is provided inside the outer wall (12), the outer wall (12) and the box body (13) are slidably connected, and a handle (14) is provided on one end surface of the box body (13).

4. The device for spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain assessment in rats according to claim 1, wherein: The end of the external extension wire (7) close to the rat is provided with a protective cover.

5. The device for rat spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain assessment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The upper surface of the outer wall (12) is provided with a "T"-shaped track (15), and the "T"-shaped track (15) is used for moving the external extension wire (7) when the rat moves. The upper surface of the outer wall (12) is provided with a circular through hole (16), and the circular through hole (16) is used for feeding the rat.

6. The device for spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain assessment in rats according to claim 3, characterized in that: The outer wall (12) is provided with a red light shielding plate to prevent the external environment from interfering with the rats and causing deviation in the experimental data.

7. The device for spinal cord electrical stimulation and mechanical pain assessment in rats according to claim 2, wherein: An excrement collection tray (17) is provided directly below the breeding box (2), and the excrement collection tray (17) is clamped on the lower part of the bottom bracket (8).

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