A behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice
By designing a behavioral device incorporating a metal frame and a HALIP model, the gap in hallucination detection in mice was filled, enabling direct detection and evaluation of hallucination-like sensations in mice, thus improving detection accuracy and efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHIMEDICAL UNIVERSITY
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-07
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-26
AI Technical Summary
The existing technology lacks behavioral devices that can directly detect hallucination-like sensations in mice, and cannot effectively assess the correlation between hallucination behavior in mice and hallucinations in humans.
A behavioral device was designed, comprising a metal frame, a sound panel, a nose-touch water supply panel, a food trough, an infrared transmitter and receiver, and a peristaltic pump. The device was used to detect hallucinations in mice using the HALIP model. Mice were trained to distinguish between signals and no signals by auditory stimulation and drinking rewards, and their hallucination-like sensations were detected.
It enables direct detection of hallucinatory behavior in mice, and can assess hallucinatory-like sensations in mice through a drinking reward mechanism. The device design facilitates the cleaning of excrement, improving the accuracy and efficiency of detection.
Smart Images
Figure CN224267753U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of animal research technology, and in particular to a behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice. Background Technology
[0002] In animal studies, due to the subjective nature of hallucinations, experimental animals cannot report their own hallucinations, and current animal research related to hallucinations is all indirect. Animal studies of the psychedelic effects of psychedelic drugs often rely on head twitch responses, but using head twitches as an analogy for human psychedelic behavior fails to explain the subjective feeling of hallucinations. Mental illnesses associated with cortical, striatal, and thalamic circuit disorders, such as schizophrenia, often use prepulse inhibition (PPI) behavior for indirect measurement; however, studies have shown that PPIs generally do not predict human outcomes, their phenomenological relationship with psychotic symptoms is indirect, and their connection to hallucinatory behavior is even more distant. In 2021, Schmack, based on the phenomenology of hallucinations, set up similar auditory testing tasks for humans and mice. By directly linking hallucinatory behavior in humans and rodents, he established a reliable hallucination-like perception (HALIP) detection model and used this method to study the neural basis of hallucination-like perception in mice. Hallucination-like sensations were defined as high-confidence false alarms, which increased in mice after performing hallucination-related actions and were associated with self-reported hallucinations in humans.
[0003] However, there is no existing behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice.
[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The technical problem solved by this invention is to provide a behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice that is easy to use and can detect whether mice are experiencing hallucinations.
[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice provided by this utility model includes: a metal frame, a first acrylic plate on the front of the metal frame, a sound panel and a nose touch water supply panel on both sides of the first acrylic plate, a top plate on the top of the metal frame, a back plate on the back of the metal frame, a partition inside the metal frame, and a waste tray placed inside the metal frame below the partition.
[0007] Preferably, two food troughs are fixedly installed on one side of the nose-touch water supply panel within the metal frame. Each food trough is equipped with a food trough light, and a first infrared emitter is fixedly installed on the food trough light. A drinking pipe is provided on the side of the food trough away from the nose-touch water supply panel. The drinking pipe is located below the first infrared emitter, and a first infrared receiver is provided below the drinking pipe. The first infrared emitter and the first infrared receiver are compatible.
[0008] Preferably, the nose touch module is fixedly installed on one side of the water supply panel within the metal frame, and a device lighting lamp is fixedly installed on the metal frame above the nose touch module. The nose touch module includes a second infrared transmitter, a second infrared receiver, and a nose touch lamp.
[0009] Preferably, a peristaltic pump and a water storage container are fixedly installed on the side of the nose contact water supply panel outside the metal frame, and the inlet and outlet of the peristaltic pump are respectively connected to one end of the water storage container and one end of the drinking pipe.
[0010] Preferably, the sound panel is equipped with an infrared lamp, a noise generator, and a speaker on one side within the metal frame. The speaker has a sound resolution of 35dB, 45dB, 55dB, and 65dB, and the noise generator has a sound resolution of 40dB.
[0011] Preferably, the top of the partition has a plurality of through holes arranged in a linear pattern.
[0012] Preferably, a second acrylic plate is fixedly installed on the top of the metal frame, and a circular through hole is formed on the top of the second acrylic plate.
[0013] Compared with related technologies, the behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice provided by this invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0014] This invention provides a behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice, which can detect whether mice are experiencing hallucinations and allows for easy cleaning of mouse excrement inside the device. Attached Figure Description
[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice provided by this utility model;
[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the left-side sectional view of the structure.
[0017] Figure 3 for Figure 2 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of the nasal touch module.
[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the right-side view of the structure.
[0019] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A front view schematic diagram of the external structure of the metal frame shown;
[0020] Figure 6 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a right-side sectional view of the structure.
[0021] Figure 7 Example of a flowchart for training mice using the behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice provided by this invention.
[0022] Numbered in the diagram: 1. Nasal touch water supply panel, 11. Food trough, 12. Food trough light, 13. First infrared transmitter, 14. Water pipe, 15. First infrared receiver, 16. Peristaltic pump, 17. Water storage container, 18. Nasal touch module, 1801. Second infrared transmitter, 1802. Second infrared receiver, 1803. Nasal touch light, 19. Device light, 2. Sound panel, 21. Infrared light, 22. Noise generator, 23. Speaker, 3. Top plate, 4. First acrylic plate, 5. Metal frame, 6. Tray, 7. Partition. Detailed Implementation
[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.
[0024] Please refer to the following: Figures 1-7 ,in, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice provided by this utility model; Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the left-side sectional view of the structure. Figure 3 for Figure 2 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of the nasal touch module. Figure 4 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the right-side view of the structure. Figure 5 for Figure 4 A front view schematic diagram of the external structure of the metal frame shown; Figure 6 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a right-side sectional view of the structure. Figure 7This is an example of a flowchart illustrating the training process for mice using the behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations provided by this invention. The behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice includes: a metal frame 5, a first acrylic plate 4 on the front of the metal frame 5, a sound panel 2 and a nose-touch water supply panel 1 on both sides of the first acrylic plate 4, a top plate 3 on the top of the metal frame 5, a back plate on the back of the metal frame 5, a partition 7 inside the metal frame 5, and a waste tray 6 placed below the partition 7 inside the metal frame 5.
[0025] Two food troughs 11 are fixedly installed on one side of the nose-touch water supply panel 1 within the metal frame. Each food trough 11 is equipped with a food trough light 12, and a first infrared emitter 13 is fixedly installed on the food trough light 12. A drinking pipe 14 is provided on the side of the food trough 11 away from the nose-touch water supply panel 1. The drinking pipe 14 is located below the first infrared emitter 13, and a first infrared receiver 15 is provided below the drinking pipe 14. The first infrared emitter 13 and the first infrared receiver 15 are compatible.
[0026] The nose touch module 18 is fixedly installed on one side of the water supply panel 1 within the metal frame. Above the nose touch module 18 is a device lighting lamp 19 fixedly installed on the metal frame. The nose touch module 18 includes a second infrared transmitter 1801, a second infrared receiver 1802, and a nose touch lamp 1803.
[0027] The nose-touch water supply panel 1 is fixedly installed on one side outside the metal frame with a peristaltic pump 16 and a water storage container 17. The inlet and outlet of the peristaltic pump 16 are respectively connected to one end of the water storage container 17 and the drinking pipe 14.
[0028] The sound panel 2 is equipped with an infrared lamp 21, a noise generator 22 and a speaker 23 on one side within the metal frame. The speaker 23 has a sound resolution of 35dB, 45dB, 55dB and 65dB, and the noise generator 22 has a sound resolution of 40dB.
[0029] The top of the partition 7 has multiple through holes that are linearly distributed.
[0030] A second acrylic plate is fixedly installed on the top of the metal frame 5, and a circular through hole is opened on the top of the second acrylic plate.
[0031] The behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice provided in this invention utilizes the HALIP model principle:
[0032] Throughout the experiment, a constant auditory white background noise (40 dB 2 kHz) was played. Mice initiated the experiment by poking the central port. The central port lit up for 0.1 s after a variable interval (exponential distribution with a decay constant of 0.2 s) between 0.1 s and 0.5 s. In the signal test, the central port light cue was accompanied by a synchronously rising tone signal (10–15 kHz) with a volume varying between 35 dB and 65 dB, against the background noise. In the no-signal test, the central port light cue was present but without any additional signal (no sound). The signal and no-signal tests were randomly interspersed in equal proportions. After stimulus delivery, the mouse's response was to withdraw from the central port and move to either the left or right port. A drinking reward was awarded at the left port (for correct selection in the signal test) and the right port (for correct selection in the no-signal test). After a correct selection, the reward was awarded after a variable delay between 0.5 and 5 seconds (exponential distribution with a decay constant of 1 s). In a small percentage of correct selections (5% of the trials), the reward was missed. These reward omission tests allow for the measurement of the time mice are willing to invest in the correct trial. In the signal test, choosing the correct option is a hit (HIT); choosing the wrong option is a miss (MISS). In the no-signal test, choosing the correct option is a correct rejection (CR); choosing the wrong option is a false alarm (FA). In the no-signal test, a false alarm that requires a significant investment of time (above the median dwell time) can be perceived as a "true" signal by the mouse. Therefore, a false alarm with a high investment time reflects a false perception of truth, i.e., HALIP. In short, when a mouse does not hear a sound when the experiment begins, but remains on the left port (the port chosen when the sound is heard) for an extended period, it is considered to be hallucinating.
[0033] Training methods for the HALIP model:
[0034] Mice were given food freely and water daily through a weight monitoring program to maintain their weight above 85% of their initial weight. Ten-week-old mice were selected. Water was provided during behavioral training to ensure a drinking reward. The mice underwent a lengthy, multi-step training process, typically lasting about 12 weeks, gradually introducing more challenging stimuli, longer reward delays, and reward omission trials. The training program mainly consisted of four phases:
[0035] (1) Equipment familiarization stage. In order to enable mice to adapt to the behavioral equipment, in this training stage, the mice are trained to obtain water from the instrument and their fear of port light stimulation is reduced. After the mice touch either port on both sides, the light inside the port lights up for 0.1s and they are given a drinking reward of 5ul. If the mice can complete 200 drinking tests on their own, they can move on to the next stage, which takes about 2 days.
[0036] (2) Stage 1 (Rough Discrimination Stage). In this training stage, mice were trained to distinguish between two different categories of sound stimuli (no signal and signal). For this purpose, noise-only stimuli (65 dB 10-15 kHz) and no-noise stimuli were used under constant background noise (40 dB 2 kHz). To enable mice to distinguish the noise stimuli, this stage was divided into three sub-stages. In stage 1a, mice initiated the test via the central port, which lit up for 0.5 s after a variable interval (exponential distribution with a decay constant of 0.2 s) between 0.1 s and 0.5 s. In the signal test, the central port light was accompanied by a synchronously rising tone signal (10-15 kHz) lasting 0.5 s at a volume of 65 dB. In the no-signal test, the central port light cue was present but without any additional signal (no sound). After the mouse exits from the central port, in the signal experiment, the left port lights up to provide a visual cue. If the mouse moves to the left port, it receives a 5ul water reward after 0.5 seconds; if it moves to the right port, there is no water reward. In the no-signal experiment, the right port lights up to provide a visual cue. If the mouse moves to the right port, it receives a 5ul water reward after 0.5 seconds; if it moves to the left port, there is no water reward. If the mouse's success rate in two consecutive experiments is greater than 70%, it can proceed to the next stage, which takes approximately 3 days. In stage 1b, the central port lighting time is shortened from 0.5 seconds to 0.3 seconds in the signal experiment. In the first stage, the signal duration was shortened from 0.5s to 0.3s, while the no-signal experiment remained unchanged. If the mouse achieved a success rate of over 70% in two consecutive experiments, it could proceed to the next stage, which took approximately 3 days. In the second stage, the light cue at the unilateral drinking reward port was eliminated. That is, regardless of whether it was a signal or no-signal experiment, the lights at both ports would light up simultaneously after the mouse exited from the central port. If the mouse achieved a success rate of over 70% in three consecutive experiments, it could proceed to the next stage. This stage was the most important stage of the HALIP experiment and also the most difficult stage for the mouse (establishing the sound-drinking reward reflex). This stage took approximately 4-8 weeks.
[0037] (3) Stage 2 (Fine Discrimination Stage). Animals were trained using the same two types of stimuli (no signal and signal), but the difficulty of discrimination was increased by expanding the range of signal intensity used (between 35 dB and 65 dB). To enable mice to develop fine discrimination abilities, this stage was divided into two sub-stages. Stage 2a: In the signal experiment, the signal intensity was changed from 65 dB to a randomized proportional distribution of 35 dB, 45 dB, 55 dB, and 65 dB. The no-signal experiment remained unchanged. If the mice achieved a success rate greater than 70% in two consecutive experiments, they could proceed to the next stage, which took approximately 3 days. Stage 2b: The illumination time at the central port was shortened from 0.3 s to 0.1 s. In the signal experiment, the signal duration was shortened from 0.3 s to 0.1 s. The no-signal experiment remained unchanged. If the mice achieved a success rate greater than 70% in two consecutive experiments, they could proceed to the next stage, which took approximately 3 days.
[0038] (4) Stage 3 (Feedback Delay Stage). A reward delay was added, with the mouse receiving the reward 0.5-5 seconds after tapping the correct selection port. To ensure the mice remained in this stage for a sufficient period, it was divided into three sub-stages. Stage 3a: The delay for distributing the drinking reward was changed from 0.5 seconds to a variable time of 0.5-1.5 seconds. If the mouse achieved a success rate greater than 70% in two consecutive experiments, it could proceed to the next stage, which took approximately 3 days. Stage 3b: The delay for distributing the drinking reward was changed from 0.5 seconds to a variable time of 0.5-3 seconds. If the mouse achieved a success rate greater than 70% in two consecutive experiments, it could proceed to the next stage, which took approximately 3 days. Stage 3c: The delay for distributing the drinking reward was changed from 0.5 seconds to a variable time of 0.5-5 seconds. If the mouse achieved a success rate greater than 70% in two consecutive experiments, it could proceed to the next stage, which took approximately 3 days.
[0039] (5) Stage 4 (Reward Omission Stage). A reward delay was added, and mice were not rewarded in a small percentage of correct choices (5% of the trials) (reward omission trials). These reward omission trials allowed us to measure the time mice were willing to invest in correct trials. If a mouse had a success rate of more than 70% in two consecutive trials, then the mouse was considered trained. This stage took about 2 days.
[0040] After the fourth stage of training, the mouse HALIP detection model was officially established. At this point, the model was stable and could be used for experiments related to hallucinations in mice.
[0041] Compared with related technologies, the behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice provided by this invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0042] This invention provides a behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice, which can detect whether mice are experiencing hallucinations and allows for easy cleaning of mouse excrement inside the device.
[0043] The above description is merely an embodiment of this utility model and does not limit the patent scope of this utility model. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the content of this utility model specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice, characterized in that, include: A metal frame, the front of which is provided with a first acrylic plate, the sides of which are respectively provided with a sound panel and a nasal touch water supply panel, the top of which is provided with a top plate, the back of which is provided with a back plate, the metal frame is provided with a partition, and a garbage tray located below the partition is placed inside the metal frame.
2. The behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice according to claim 1, characterized in that, Two food troughs are fixedly installed on one side of the nose-touch water supply panel within the metal frame. Each food trough is equipped with a food trough light, and a first infrared emitter is fixedly installed on the food trough light. A drinking pipe is provided on the side of the food trough away from the nose-touch water supply panel. The drinking pipe is located below the first infrared emitter, and a first infrared receiver is provided below the drinking pipe. The first infrared emitter and the first infrared receiver are compatible.
3. The behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice according to claim 1, characterized in that, The nose touch module is fixedly installed on one side of the water supply panel within the metal frame. Above the nose touch module is a device lighting lamp fixedly installed on the metal frame. The nose touch module includes a second infrared transmitter, a second infrared receiver, and a nose touch lamp.
4. The behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice according to claim 1, characterized in that, The nose-touch water supply panel is fixedly installed with a peristaltic pump and a water storage container on one side outside the metal frame. The inlet and outlet of the peristaltic pump are respectively connected to one end of the water storage container and the drinking pipe.
5. The behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sound panel is equipped with an infrared lamp, a noise generator, and a speaker on one side within the metal frame. The speaker has a sound resolution of 35dB, 45dB, 55dB, and 65dB, and the noise generator has a sound resolution of 40dB.
6. The behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the partition has multiple through holes that are linearly distributed.
7. The behavioral device for detecting hallucination-like sensations in mice according to claim 1, characterized in that, A second acrylic plate is fixedly installed on the top of the metal frame, and a circular through hole is opened on the top of the second acrylic plate.