Novel waist and back pain measurement device for small animal, and method

Abstract

The present invention provides a novel waist and back pain measurement device for a small animal, and a method. The measurement device comprises: a support frame; a rotating member rotatably arranged on the support frame, wherein a rotating surface formed by rotating the rotating member is perpendicular to the horizontal plane; and a supporting structure fixedly arranged on the rotating member and used for supporting a small animal, wherein the small animal can continuously run on the supporting structure, and the small animal drives the rotating member by means of the supporting structure during running, so that the rotating member periodically rotates in one direction. The device further comprises a measurement assembly used for measuring the movement distance, speed and time of the small animal. By means of the provision of the rotary supporting structure, the small animal can run spontaneously without manual interference, and the measurement assembly can measure the movement distance, speed and time of the small animal; and experimenters can compare the pain threshold levels of the waist and back pain mice on the basis of the measured data.

Description

A new device and method for detecting low back pain in small animals Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of animal experimental equipment, and in particular to a novel device and method for detecting low back pain in small animals. Background Art

[0002] Low back pain is a common health concern among the elderly and a significant factor affecting their quality of life. According to statistics, nearly 60% of people over 60 in my country suffer from varying degrees of low back pain. Low back pain, often caused by osteoporosis, lumbar disc herniation, and fractures, is a neurodegenerative disease that significantly impacts patients' quality of life. In recent years, the use of mice and rats as animal models for low back pain has increased, but effective behavioral assessment methods remain lacking. Currently, behavioral paradigms for assessing low back pain primarily include dorsal / plantar von Frey tests, quadrupedal weight-bearing analysis, and gait analysis. However, both plantar and dorsal von Frey tests are subject to significant artifacts, compromising the accurate assessment of low back pain thresholds. Furthermore, quadrupedal weight-bearing and gait analysis, which rely on behavioral changes in the plantar surface of the mouse to assess the low back pain threshold, are indirect assessment methods. Because the testing site is distant from the site of low back injury, they are unlikely to directly reflect the actual pain level. Although some studies have directly detected the mechanical threshold of the mouse back, it has not been widely promoted and applied due to the lack of back behavioral equipment, difficulty in operation and human interference.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a portable mouse chronic low back pain detection device that can quickly and directly reflect the threshold level of low back pain in mice without human interference.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a new type of small animal back pain detection equipment and method, which includes: a support frame, a rotating part rotatably arranged on the support frame, the rotating plane formed by the rotation of the rotating part is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and a support structure for supporting the small animal is fixedly arranged on the rotating part. The small animal can run continuously on the support structure. When the small animal runs, the supporting structure drives the rotating part so that the rotating part rotates periodically in one direction. It also includes a measuring component, which measures the distance, speed and time of the small animal's running.

[0006] Furthermore, the rotating member is a disk that can rotate around its own center, the end surface of the disk is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the supporting structure is arranged around the center of the disk.

[0007] Furthermore, the support structure is a plurality of support rods evenly distributed around the center of the disk, and the distance between each support rod and the center of the disk is equal.

[0008] Furthermore, the support structure is a support wall surrounding the end surface of the disk and extending in the horizontal direction, and the distance between the support wall and the center of the disk at any angle of the disk is equal.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes an observation baffle made of transparent material, which is arranged opposite to the disc, and the supporting structure is arranged between the observation baffle and the disc, and the observation baffle and the supporting structure are detachably connected.

[0010] Furthermore, a fixed shaft is provided on the support frame, and a bearing is provided at the center of the disc, and the bearing is interference fit with the fixed shaft.

[0011] Furthermore, the measuring assembly includes a controller, a photoelectric encoder arranged on the support frame, and a marker arranged on the disc or the support structure, and the photoelectric encoder is electrically connected to the controller.

[0012] Furthermore, the observation baffle is made of acrylic.

[0013] The present invention also provides a method for detecting low back pain in small animals, comprising the following steps:

[0014] S01: Prepare small animals with low back pain as the experimental group and small animals with normal low back as the control group;

[0015] S02: Place the animals with low back pain in the experimental group and the animals with normal low back in the control group in the support structure of the device;

[0016] S03: The animals' movements within the support structure will spontaneously rotate the structure, causing it to run continuously in one direction. During this movement, the animals' lumbar spines are placed in either a flexed or horizontally stretched state. Experimenters used a measuring component to record the speed, distance, and duration of movement in both lumbar spine states for both control animals and animals with low back pain.

[0017] S04: The experimenters compared the pain threshold levels of the two groups of animals using the measured data.

[0018] It can be seen from the above technical solution that the beneficial effects of the present invention are: through the setting of the rotating support structure, the small animals can run spontaneously without human interference, and the measuring component can measure the movement distance, speed and time of the small animals. The experimenters can compare the pain threshold levels of mice with low back pain based on the measured data. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a support structure of a detection device provided in the present application.

[0020] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the support structure of the detection device provided in the present application.

[0021] FIG3 is a three-dimensional diagram of the detection device provided in the present application from a rear-view angle.

[0022] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the non-noxious stimulation experiment provided in this application.

[0023] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a noxious stimulation experiment provided in this application.

[0024] The description of the accompanying drawings is as follows: 1. Support frame; 11. Photoelectric encoder; 12. Turntable; 121. Support rod; 122. Support wall; 123. Marking. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Typical embodiments embodying the features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the present invention is capable of various variations in different embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, and that the descriptions and illustrations herein are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting.

[0026] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the said features. In the description of the present application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0027] In order to further illustrate the principle and structure of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Please refer to Figures 1-5. A new type of small animal back pain detection equipment provided in this embodiment includes a support frame and a support structure arranged on the support frame. The support structure forms an activity space for the small animal to move, and the small animal can run in the activity space. Under the action of the support structure, the spine of the small animal maintains an arched or stretched state during the running process. A measuring component is provided on the support frame, and the measuring component measures the running distance, speed and time of the small animal; during the test, a small animal with back pain and a small animal with normal back are prepared, and the two small animals are placed in the device respectively. The small animals run in the device, and the measuring component records the running distance, speed and time of the two small animals. By comparing the distance, speed and time of the two small animals, the pain threshold of the small animal with back pain is compared.

[0029] It is understood that the device of the present invention is suitable for detecting low back pain in small animals such as mice, rats, and rabbits, and the present invention does not limit the type of experimental animals used with the device. The specific structure and method of use of the device for detecting low back pain in small animals will be described in detail below, using the device for detecting low back pain in mice as an example.

[0030] Specifically, a rotating part is provided on the above-mentioned support frame, and a rotating plane formed by the rotation of the rotating part is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The support structure is fixedly arranged on the rotating frame, and the mouse can run continuously on the support structure. When the mouse runs in the activity space formed by the support structure, the mouse's feet will drive the rotating part through the above-mentioned support structure, so that the rotating part and the support structure rotate periodically in one direction. Under the action of rotational inertia, the mouse will run continuously in one direction in the support structure, and the rotating support structure can provide a longer movement distance in a limited space, so that the mouse can run fully in a smaller space.

[0031] The above-mentioned rotating part is a disk that can rotate around its own center. The end face of the disk is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the center of the circle is located at the center of the end face. The supporting structure mentioned above is arranged around the center of the disk. However, the rotating part is not limited to the disk. The rotating part can also be a ring not shown in the accompanying drawings. As long as it can rotate around the rotation point and the center of gravity is located at the rotation point, it can be used as the rotating part of the present application. The end face of the disk serving as the rotating part of the present application can close one side of the activity space to prevent mice from escaping from one side of the activity space.

[0032] In order to realize the rotation of the disc, a fixed shaft is provided on the above-mentioned support frame, and a bearing is provided at the center of the disc, and the bearing is interference fit with the fixed shaft.

[0033] As an embodiment of the support structure of the present invention, the above-mentioned support structure can be a plurality of support rods evenly distributed around the center of the disk, the axes of the support rods are parallel to the horizontal plane, and the distance between each of the support rods and the center of the disk is equal, thereby forming a ring-shaped support structure composed of multiple support rods. When the mouse runs on the support structure, the support rods can fit more closely with its feet, making it easier for the mouse to bear force.

[0034] This embodiment of the present invention does not specifically describe the number and size of the support rods. The number and size of the support rods are directly related to the diameter of the annular support structure. The annular structure formed by the support rods can support the mouse running inside it. Therefore, the present invention does not limit the number and size of the support rods.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an observation baffle made of transparent material (not shown in the figure) is also included. The observation baffle is arranged opposite to the disc, and the supporting structure is arranged between the observation baffle and the disc. The rotating part of the disc closes one side of the activity space, and the observation baffle can close the activity space on the other side to prevent mice from escaping from the activity space. At the same time, the observation baffle made of transparent material does not hinder the experimenter from observing the mice.

[0036] The above-mentioned observation baffle can be detachably connected to the support structure. Specifically, more than two threaded holes are provided on the support structure of this embodiment, and through holes corresponding to the threaded holes are provided on the observation baffle. The observation baffle can be detachably connected to the support member by bolts. In this embodiment, the material of the observation baffle is acrylic, and the threaded hole is provided on the end face of the support rod away from the rotating member.

[0037] As another embodiment of the support structure of the present invention, in addition to being an annular support structure composed of support rods, the support structure described above can also be a support wall that surrounds the end face of the disk and extends in the horizontal direction. The distance between the support wall and the center of the disk at any angle is equal, and the support structure is an annular support structure formed by the support wall.

[0038] In this embodiment, a friction structure can be provided on the inner side surface of the support wall. The friction structure can increase the friction between the mouse's feet and the inner side surface of the support wall, making it easier for the mouse to drive the disc to rotate and preventing the mouse from slipping and affecting the rotation of the disc. The rotation of the disc is interrelated with the measurement component specifically mentioned below, and the friction structure can improve the measurement accuracy of the measurement component.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an observation baffle made of transparent material is also included. The observation baffle is arranged opposite to the disc, and the supporting structure is arranged between the observation baffle and the disc. The rotating part of the disc closes one side of the activity space, and the observation baffle can close the activity space on the other side to prevent mice from escaping from the activity space. At the same time, the observation baffle made of transparent material does not hinder the experimenter from observing the mice.

[0040] The above-mentioned observation baffle can be detachably connected to the support structure. Specifically, more than two threaded holes are provided on the support structure of this embodiment, and through holes corresponding to the threaded holes are provided on the observation baffle. The observation baffle can be detachably connected to the support member by bolts. In this embodiment, the material of the observation baffle is acrylic, and the threaded hole is provided on the end face of the support wall away from the rotating member.

[0041] The measurement assembly described above includes a controller, a photoelectric encoder arranged on the support frame, and an identifier arranged on the disc or the support structure. The photoelectric encoder is electrically connected to the controller. The photoelectric encoder records the number of revolutions of the disc and sends the revolution data to the controller in real time. The controller obtains the distance, speed, and time of the mouse's running based on the test time and the circumference of the inner wall of the support structure.

[0042] The above text does not specifically describe the number of rotating parts, supporting structures, and measuring components. In the present invention, a single rotating part, a supporting structure corresponding to the rotating part, and a single measuring component constitute a group of experimental units. The number of experimental units on the support frame can be two groups. When the number of experimental units is two groups, control experiments on mice with low back pain and mice with normal low back pain can be carried out simultaneously, saving experimental time and improving experimental efficiency.

[0043] The following is an experiment under the non-harmful stimulation conditions of the present invention. The diameter of the support structure of the experiment is 20 cm. First, the mice with low back pain in the experimental group and the mice with normal low back in the control group are placed in the support structure of the equipment, as shown in Figure 4. Due to the large diameter of the support structure, the mice can perform arched back exercise while running (arched back exercise is a comfortable exercise manifestation), and the lumbar spine is basically in a bent state. During the experiment, the mice will spontaneously rotate the support structure described above to make them run in one direction. At this time, the lumbar spine of the mouse is in an arched state. The movement of the control group mice will not be affected, while the lumbar spine of the experimental group mice with low back pain is difficult to be in an arched state, so there will be differences in movement speed and time. The experimenter can record the movement speed, movement distance and movement time of the control group mice and the low back pain mice during exercise. Through these data, the experimenter can compare the pain threshold levels of the two groups of mice.

[0044] The following is an experiment under the harmful stimulation conditions of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, the diameter of the support structure of this experiment is half the diameter of the support structure of the non-harmful stimulation experiment, that is, the diameter is 10 cm. The design purpose is to cause a back spinal pressure to the mice during exercise. The spines of the mice in both the control group and the experimental group will be in a horizontal stretching state (uncomfortable state) during exercise. The movement speed and time of the control group mice will be reduced, but the mice with low back pain themselves are in pain, and the lumbar spine is forced to be in a horizontal state, which further aggravates the pain threshold of low back pain, resulting in a significant reduction in the movement speed and time of the mice. Finally, by comparing the movement speed and time of the experimental group and the control group mice under the large-scale device; the movement speed and time of the experimental group and the control group mice under the small-scale device, the difference measured by the small-scale device under the theoretical state is greater than the difference measured by the large-scale device.

[0045] By setting up a rotating support structure, the small animals can run spontaneously without human interference, and the measuring component can measure the small animals' movement distance, speed, and time. Experimenters can compare the pain threshold levels of mice with low back pain based on the measured data.

[0046] While the present invention has been described with reference to several exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the terms used are intended to be illustrative and exemplary rather than restrictive. Since the present invention can be embodied in many forms without departing from the spirit or essence of the invention, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited to any of the foregoing details, but should be interpreted broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. All changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the claims or their equivalents are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A new type of small animal low back pain detection device, characterized in that, it includes a support frame, a rotating member rotatably arranged on the support frame, the rotating surface formed by the rotation of the rotating member is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, a support structure fixedly arranged on the rotating member for supporting small animals, and small animals can run continuously on the support structure. When the small animals run, the support structure drives the rotating member, so that the rotating member rotates periodically in one direction; it also includes a measurement component, and the measurement component measures the running distance, speed and time of the small animals.

2. The new type of small animal low back pain detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the rotating member is a disc that can rotate around its own center, the end face of the disc is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the support structure is arranged around the center of the disc.

3. The new type of small animal low back pain detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, the support structure is a plurality of support rods evenly distributed around the center of the disc, and the distance between each support rod and the center of the disc is equal.

4. The new type of small animal low back pain detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, the support structure is a support wall that surrounds the end face of the disc and extends in the horizontal direction, and the distance between the support wall at any angle of the disc and the center of the disc is equal.

5. The new type of small animal low back pain detection device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, it also includes an observation baffle made of transparent material, the observation baffle is arranged opposite to the disc, the support structure is arranged between the observation baffle and the disc, and the observation baffle is detachably connected to the support structure.

6. The new type of small animal low back pain detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, a fixed shaft is arranged on the support frame, a bearing is arranged at the center of the disc, and the bearing is in interference fit with the fixed shaft.

7. The new type of small animal low back pain detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the measurement component includes a controller, an optical encoder arranged on the support frame, and an identifier arranged on the disc or the support structure, and the optical encoder is electrically connected to the controller.

8. The new type of small animal low back pain detection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, the material of the observation baffle is acrylic material.

9. A new type of small animal low back pain detection method, which is applied to the detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, it includes the following steps: S01: Prepare small animals with low back pain as the experimental group and small animals with normal low back as the control group; S02: Place the small animals with low back pain in the experimental group and the small animals with normal low back in the control group in the support structure of the device; S03: The activity of small animals in the support structure will spontaneously rotate the support structure. The rotating support structure makes the small animals run continuously in one direction. During the running process, the lumbar spine of the small animals is in a bent state or a horizontally stretched state. The experimenter records the running speed, running distance, and running time of the control group of small animals and small animals with low back pain during the movement process in the two lumbar spine states through the measurement component; S04: The experimenter compares the pain threshold levels of the two groups of small animals through the measured data.

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