Animal drinking fluid preference behavior experiment system
By employing a concentric tube switching mechanism or a turntable and translation mechanism in the animal drinking preference behavior experimental system, the position of the drinking bottle can be automatically switched, thus solving the problem of position preference influence, improving the accuracy and efficiency of experimental results, and providing real and reliable experimental data.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511733858.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-02
AI Technical Summary
Existing experimental systems for animal drinking preference behavior require periodically changing the positions of the two drinking bottles to overcome positional or directional preferences, which affects the accuracy of the experimental results.
The switching device, which employs a concentric tube switching mechanism or a turntable and translation mechanism, is connected to an external water bottle through a drinking window. The switching device controls a maximum of one drinking tube in the drinking window to achieve automatic liquid switching. The design ensures that each type of liquid flows through different pipes without interfering with or affecting the others.
It simplifies experimental procedures, reduces the influence of animal position preferences, improves the accuracy and efficiency of experimental results, can quickly reflect differences in animal behavior in a short period of time, reduces stress behavior, and provides real and reliable experimental data.
Smart Images
Figure CN121241932A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to an experimental system for animal drinking preference behavior, belonging to the field of animal behavior detection technology. Background Technology
[0002] The two-bottle drinking experiment is a classic behavioral paradigm reflecting the preferences of animals such as rats and mice for two different liquids. This method is simple to operate and requires no complex surgery, making it widely used in studies of addiction, depression, and hedonism. In the experiment, a group of animals (usually mice or rats) are placed in an experimental setup containing two bottles. One bottle contains ordinary drinking water (such as purified water), while the other contains a solution containing a drug. Animals are allowed to freely choose to drink from either bottle, and their drinking behavior between the bottles is collected and recorded to assess their preference for different solutions or drugs. Observing the animals' drinking preferences and spontaneous drug intake behavior helps researchers gain a deeper understanding of animals' perception and behavioral choices regarding target solutions, assess drug dependence and drug reward effects, and further explain reward mechanism studies, taste preference studies, conditioned taste aversion, pharmacological studies, and explore other questions related to behavior and neurobiology. For example, setting the target solution to a sucrose solution of appropriate concentration and water creates the most classic sugar water preference model.
[0003] In different studies, the experimental parameters set in the two-bottle drinking paradigm may vary depending on the experimental design to adapt to specific research needs and subjects. Common indicators of drinking behavior include the weight and volume of the liquid consumed, the number of times the animal drinks, the number of times it licks, the frequency of licking, the number of drinks per lick, and the proportion of each indicator. These indicators are numerical values that directly reflect changes in drinking behavior and can be used to quantitatively characterize the drinking behavior preferences of laboratory animals. An essential step in the two-bottle drinking experiment is to periodically change the position of the solution to eliminate the possibility that the animal chooses a particular water source solely due to location or directional preference. This exchange design helps ensure that the animal's choice behavior is primarily influenced by the chemical properties of the solution itself rather than its location. However, the experiment is lengthy, and animals may still have preferences for a particular location or environment, thus affecting their choice behavior.
[0004] For example, Chinese patent application CN11219923A discloses a rat cage for a sugar water preference experiment in rodents. The cage includes a turntable rotatably mounted on a cage lid via a bearing fixed to the lid. The bearing is connected to a drive device and a timer. The drive device rotates the bearing by a predetermined angle according to the timer's timing cycle. At least two automatic ball-operated drinking bottles are spaced apart on the turntable, each containing a liquid of different sweetness. When the drive device rotates the bearing by the predetermined angle according to the timer's timing cycle, the at least two automatic ball-operated drinking bottles on the turntable also rotate by the predetermined angle. Although this prior art can also achieve a preference experiment through automatic switching, it requires rotating the turntable to change the position of the drinking bottles to overcome positional or directional preferences. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an experimental system for animal drinking preference behavior, so as to solve the problem that current experimental systems need to periodically change the positions of two drinking bottles to overcome position or orientation preference.
[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides an experimental system for animal drinking preference behavior, comprising an experimental chamber for animal activity, a drinking window provided within the experimental chamber, the drinking window for providing drinking space to the experimental animal, the drinking window being connected to at least two drinking bottles outside the experimental chamber via corresponding drinking tubes, so that liquid is introduced into the drinking window through the corresponding drinking tubes, and the switching of each drinking tube within the drinking window is achieved by a switching device, the switching device being used to control that there is at most one drinking tube in the drinking window.
[0007] Furthermore, the switching device is a concentric tube switching mechanism, which includes a concentric tube and a switching valve. Each drinking pipe is connected to the concentric tube, and each drinking pipe is equipped with a corresponding switching valve. The concentric tube is fixed inside the drinking window, and the switching of each drinking pipe is achieved through the switching valve.
[0008] Furthermore, the switching device is a turntable, and the drinking tubes connected to each water bottle are installed at different positions on the turntable, with the drinking tubes positioned at the drinking window as the turntable rotates.
[0009] Furthermore, the switching device employs a translation mechanism, with the drinking tubes connected to each water bottle positioned at different locations within the translation mechanism, moving towards the drinking window as the mechanism moves.
[0010] Furthermore, the switching device switches according to a set cycle, so that the drinking pipe corresponding to each liquid is in the drinking window for the same amount of time.
[0011] Furthermore, the experimental system also includes a data acquisition module, which is used to collect at least one of the following: the number of times the animal licks, the amount of liquid consumed, or the amount of drinking data.
[0012] Furthermore, liquid consumption is monitored by installing weight sensors at each water bottle.
[0013] Furthermore, the experimental system is also used to send the switching signal of the switching device to an external physiological signal acquisition system in order to detect drinking behavior.
[0014] Furthermore, it also includes an indicator module, which is controlled by the switching signal of the switching device and is used to indicate the current status of the drinking window.
[0015] Furthermore, the indicator module is a color-changing indicator light.
[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The animal drinking preference behavior experimental system of this invention has a drinking window set inside the experimental chamber, through which water is provided to the experimental animals. The drinking window is connected to at least two drinking bottles outside the experimental chamber via corresponding drinking tubes. A switching device controls the system so that at most one drinking tube is connected to the drinking window. Since the position of the drinking window remains unchanged, this experimental system does not need to periodically change the positions of the two drinking bottles to overcome positional or directional preferences. The switching device can easily switch the liquid that the animal wants to drink, and each liquid flows through different tubes without interfering with each other. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the experimental system for animal drinking preference behavior of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the concentric tube switching mechanism used in the switching device of the present invention; Figure 3a This is a front view of the switching device using a turntable in this invention; Figure 3b This is a side view of the switching device using a turntable in this invention; Figure 3c This is a schematic diagram of the drinking window when the switching device in this invention uses a turntable; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the translation mechanism used in the switching device of the present invention; Figure 5 This is an example of a drinking event used in the animal drinking preference behavior experimental system of the present invention; 1 is the drinking window, 2 is the switching device, 3 is the first drinking bottle, 4 is the second drinking bottle, 5 is the experimental chamber, 6 is the weight sensor, 7 is the pipe fixing point, 8 is the first drinking pipe, 9 is the second drinking pipe, and 10 is the color-changing indicator light. Detailed Implementation
[0018] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0019] The animal drinking preference behavior experimental system of the present invention has a drinking window inside the experimental chamber, through which water is provided to the experimental animals. The drinking window is connected to at least two drinking bottles outside the experimental chamber via corresponding drinking tubes. A switching device controls the system so that at most one drinking tube is connected to the drinking window. Since the position of the drinking window remains constant, the experimental system does not need to periodically change the positions of the two drinking bottles to overcome positional or directional preferences. The switching device can easily switch the liquid that the animal wants to drink, and each liquid flows through a different tube without interference.
[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, the animal drinking preference behavior experimental system of the present invention includes an experimental chamber 5 for animal activity, and a drinking window 1 is provided inside the experimental chamber. The drinking window 1 is used to provide drinking space for the experimental animals. The drinking window is connected to at least two drinking bottles outside the experimental chamber through corresponding drinking tubes, so that liquid is introduced into the drinking window through the corresponding drinking tubes. The switching of each drinking tube in the drinking window is realized by a switching device 2, which is used to control that there is at most one drinking tube in the drinking window. In this embodiment, there are two drinking bottles, namely a first drinking bottle 3 and a second drinking bottle 4, containing liquid A and liquid B, respectively. The drinking tube for liquid A (i.e., the first drinking tube 8) and the drinking tube for liquid B (i.e., the second drinking tube 9) can be positioned in the drinking window under the control of the switching device. As other embodiments, more liquids can be used, such as 3 or 4 kinds.
[0021] The switching device 2 can be a concentric tube switching mechanism, a turntable, or a translation mechanism. Specifically, for example... Figure 2 As shown, when the switching device is a concentric tube switching mechanism, this mechanism includes a concentric tube and a switching valve. Both liquid A and liquid B drinking pipes are connected to the concentric tube. Here, the concentric tube is a pipe capable of connecting two drinking pipes simultaneously. Both liquid A and liquid B drinking pipes are equipped with corresponding switching valves. The concentric tube is fixed inside the drinking window, and the switching valves are used to switch between liquid A and liquid B drinking pipes. For example, when switching to liquid A, simply open the valve of the liquid A drinking pipe and close the valve of the liquid B drinking pipe. If drinking is not needed, both valves of the liquid A and liquid B drinking pipes are closed. When the switching device is a rotatable disc, such as... Figure 3a and Figure 3bAs shown, three areas—liquid A, liquid B, and a blank area—are evenly distributed on a disc, each occupying a 120° area. The disc is controlled by a program and can rotate 120° clockwise or counterclockwise each time, aligning the target area with the drinking window. This allows switching between the A and B tubes and the blank area, enabling the animal to extend its head from the drinking window and easily lick the liquid or touch the blank area. Figure 3b As shown, to accurately measure the consumption of the two liquids, each water bottle is equipped with a weight sensor 6 (i.e., a weight detector) at the bottom to obtain the weight of the liquid consumed by detecting the weight of the water bottle. The two water tubing are connected to the corresponding water bottle via pipe fixing points 7. Figure 3c As shown, to correspond with the turntable, the drinking window here adopts a 120° sector-shaped structure. When the switching device uses a translation device (also called a translation mechanism), such as... Figure 4 As shown, the A-liquid and B-liquid drinking tubes are located at different positions on the translation device. As the device moves, they are exposed within the drinking window area, allowing the animal to extend its head through the window and easily lick the liquid. For example, when switching to liquid A, simply control the translation device to position the A-liquid drinking tube at the drinking window; when switching to liquid B, control the device to position the B-liquid drinking tube at the drinking window; when not providing the animal with any liquid, control the device to move both liquid A and liquid B away from the drinking window, preventing the animal from accessing the drinking tubes.
[0022] It also includes an indicator module, which is controlled by the switching signal of the switching device and is used to indicate the current status of the drinking window 1. In this embodiment, the indicator module is a color-changing indicator light 10, with different colors representing different statuses.
[0023] Therefore, by controlling the aforementioned switching device, the liquids that animals need to drink can be easily switched. Each liquid flows through a different pipe, without interfering with each other, and without affecting the accurate acquisition of various detection parameters. Furthermore, the drinking time for each liquid can be controlled by adjusting the switching device, such as... Figure 5 Examples of drinking events include switching the liquid every 30 seconds or every 0.5 hours. Liquid switching is automatic during behavioral observation, and each type of liquid is provided to the animal for an equal amount of time.
[0024] Traditional sucrose preference paradigms require attention to changes in drinking parameters before and after a relatively long experimental period, such as the difference in water consumption between two bottles after 24 hours of continuous drinking. A certain experimental duration is necessary to accurately obtain behavioral indicators of the experimental animals towards different liquids. However, the timed monitoring used in this invention allows for the study of behavioral differences in animals through short-term behavioral changes. Therefore, the experimental system of this invention also includes a data acquisition module, which collects at least one of the following data: the number of times the animal licks, the amount of liquid consumed, or the amount of drinking data. The amount of liquid consumed is measured by weight sensors installed at each drinking bottle. For example, changes in the number of times the experimental animal licks during a single drinking window opening, or differences in the amount of liquid consumed or the drinking time between the two liquids after several switching events within a short period, quickly reflect differences in the animal's drinking behavior.
[0025] The experimental system of this invention can be used in conjunction with external physiological signal acquisition or modulation techniques. It provides a method for rapidly responding to physiological signal changes during different drinking events under neural signal modulation. The instrument can provide multiple TTL signal emission modes, such as TTL signals triggered by actual drinking or TTL signals emitted at a time specified by the drinking event. When using external physiological signal recording or modulation techniques, strict signal labeling conditions must be set to define the time period requiring real-time acquisition or modulation intervention. The required TTL signal labeling time varies depending on the signal used. For example, when using fiber optic recording, the actual drinking time needs to be reflected through the TTL signal. However, when using optogenetic neural signal modulation techniques, optogenetic instruments incur additional feedback modulation time compared to fiber optic recording. In contrast, the drinking event provided by this instrument offers a stable time window. For example, setting the drinkable time of liquid A to 10 seconds allows the modulation time of the optogenetic instrument to fully cover this 10-second period, significantly reducing the time delay caused by optogenetic instrument modulation. The time window can also be used as a block to facilitate comparison of changes in drinking behavior.
[0026] Therefore, this invention can automatically determine different drinking preferences in animals under stress-free conditions. The main body of the experimental system's behavior box is similar in height to the animal's cage, and the entire experiment can be conducted inside the experimental box. The instrument can automatically perform experiments according to the experimental settings every day, switching between three states: giving liquid A, giving liquid B, and no liquid at regular intervals. There is absolutely no need for additional behavioral intervention from the experimental personnel, which can significantly reduce animal stress behavior, shorten the adaptation time, and obtain more realistic and reliable experimental data.
Claims
1. An experimental system for animal drinking preference behavior, comprising an experimental chamber for providing space for animal activity, characterized in that, The experimental chamber is equipped with a drinking window, which is used to provide drinking space for experimental animals. The drinking window is connected to at least two drinking bottles outside the experimental chamber through corresponding drinking tubes, so that liquid can be introduced into the drinking window through the corresponding drinking tubes. The switching of each drinking tube in the drinking window is realized by a switching device, which is used to control that there is at most one drinking tube in the drinking window.
2. The animal drinking preference behavior experimental system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The switching device is a concentric tube switching mechanism, which includes a concentric tube and a switching valve. Each drinking pipe is connected to the concentric tube, and each drinking pipe is equipped with a corresponding switching valve. The concentric tube is fixed inside the drinking window, and the switching valve enables the switching of each drinking pipe.
3. The animal drinking preference behavior experimental system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The switching device is a turntable, and the drinking tubes connected to each water bottle are installed at different positions on the turntable. The drinking tubes are positioned at the drinking window as the turntable rotates.
4. The animal drinking preference behavior experimental system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The switching device employs a translation mechanism, with the drinking tubes connected to each water bottle positioned at different locations within the translation mechanism, moving towards the drinking window as the mechanism shifts.
5. The experimental system for animal drinking preference behavior according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The switching device switches according to a set cycle, so that the drinking pipe corresponding to each liquid is in the drinking window for the same amount of time.
6. The animal drinking preference behavior experimental system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The experimental system also includes a data acquisition module, which is used to collect at least one of the following: the number of times the animal licks, the amount of liquid consumed, or the amount of drinking water.
7. The animal drinking preference behavior experimental system according to claim 6, characterized in that, Liquid consumption is monitored by installing weight sensors at each water bottle.
8. The experimental system for animal drinking preference behavior according to claim 1, characterized in that, The experimental system is also used to send the switching signal of the switching device to an external physiological signal acquisition system in order to detect drinking behavior.
9. The experimental system for animal drinking preference behavior according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, It also includes an indicator module, which is controlled by the switching signal of the switching device and is used to indicate the current status of the drinking window.
10. The experimental system for animal drinking preference behavior according to claim 9, characterized in that, The indicator module is a color-changing indicator light.