Modular apparatus for open field test

Abstract

A modular open field apparatus (1) including sidewall panels (11), flat panels (12), and cover panels (13), wherein the sidewall panels (11) and the flat panels (12) extend perpendicularly from the bottom. The sidewall panels (11) have flanges (111) extending along its two vertical edges, said flanges (111) having a plurality of magnets (14). The flat panels (12) have a plurality of magnets (14) located on the vertical edges of said panels, coinciding with the other magnets (14) placed in the sidewall panels (11), providing a solid assembly for the modular open field apparatus (1). Optionally a cover panel (13) is placed under the panels to close the bottom of the modular open field apparatus (1).

Description

[0001] MODULAR APPARATUS FOR OPEN FIELD TEST

[0002] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to systems and apparatus used for laboratory experimental studies, particularly for open field trials. Magnet-added panels are assembled to form the open field apparatus in which the test animal will be placed for experiments, animal testing, or scientific research. The panels are joined together by aligning magnets located on the surfaces of said panels to form the side walls of the open field arena. One or more panels are placed below the sidewall panels to form the bottom of the test arena. The modular open field apparatus is suitable for installing the test arena in different configurations, including divided sections or the like.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The open field test is a test used to measure locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavior in laboratory animals such as rats and mice and was developed by Hall CS (1934). In this test, an animal is placed in an open field arena and observed for a period or for repeated exposures. Open field behavior in animals such as rodents is commonly considered a fundamental index of their general behavior.

[0006] The test is conducted in a circular, rectangular, or square arena. The test arena is surrounded by walls on all sides to prevent the animal from leaving the designated area and to provide an appropriate environment for monitoring the behaviors. In the provided open-field arena, the animal's trajectory and speed, immobility time, and the distribution of travel time within the arena or periphery (a measure of anxiety) are observed, as well as the presence of possible stereotyped behaviors.

[0007] The open-field apparatus belongs to the field of experimental laboratory studies, especially animal behavior. The apparatus allows the scientist to evaluate the animal's movements and behaviors while the test subject remains in the arena.

[0008] The structure and geometry of the test area also affect the animal's behavior. Traditionally, the open field is a homogeneous, flat, and well-lit arena, but it can also be designed as a more complex environment that includes shelters, vertical walls, or corners. Altering the physical structure of the test environment can affect behavior.

[0009] The open-field arena typically comprises two main parts: the base and the walls. The base of the open-field arena is divided into two distinct zones for observation purposes. The inner center of the base represents the core zone or central square, and the remaining area, the outermost part of the base and near the walls, represents the peripheral zone. The size of the open field and the relationship between the center and peripheral zones depend on the specific study and the species of animal being tested.

[0010] Behavioral patterns measured in the open field apparatus include, but are not limited to: line crossings, a measure of locomotor activity); centrophobia (avoidance of the center due to fear); center square entries, the frequency with which the animal entered the center square; center square duration, the duration of time spent in the center square; wall-following behavior; stretch postures, the frequency with which the rodent demonstrated a forward lengthening of the head and shoulders followed by a retraction to the original position.

[0011] Although the open-field test was originally developed by behavioral psychologists, its use has spread to several other disciplines, including neuroscience and psychopharmacology. The primary equipment used in this test is the open-field apparatus. In addition to the structure and geometry of this apparatus, it is extremely important that it provide user comfort in aspects such as transport, assembly, disassembly, storage, and medullation.

[0012] Traditional open-field arenas are typically solid, one-piece structures that are difficult to move or store. Once assembled, they are time-consuming to disassemble due to their impractical rigid structure. Using large arenas can cause laboratory accidents due to their bulk or heavy weight during replacement or disassembly. Thus, there is a need in the prior art for a practical modular solution.

[0013] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The proposed invention allows for studying animal behavioral responses following open-field testing protocols known from the prior art. The disclosed open-field apparatus offers several advantages with its modular and practical structure and can be used for animals of different sizes.

[0015] To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, a modular open-field apparatus is disclosed, comprising several panels to form side walls and a lower portion of the area. The wall panels of the apparatus have magnets to serve as a holding mechanism. The attachable side walls with integrated magnets ensure a solid construction with quick installation.

[0016] In one aspect, the present invention provides easy installation without the use of any tools such as screws, hinges, or nails, and without requiring any fixing methods such as welding, taping, or gluing. Additionally, during installation or disassembly, the apparatus of the invention does not require the time and effort required by traditional open-field arenas with rigid structures. Thanks to the modular structure of the apparatus of the invention, it is possible to reassemble it as many times as necessary, and the open-field apparatus takes up less storage space when disassembled.

[0017] Another additional advantage of the device is that it allows different wall panels to be combined to form open-field arenas of various shapes and sizes due to the medullary nature of its configuration. For example, the shape of the disclosed device can be square, rectangular, rounded, or similar.

[0018] One aspect of the present invention provides a modular open-field arena assembly comprising an apparatus having a bottom and side walls. The open-field apparatus comprises a plurality of panels to form a square, rectangular, or other polyhedral shape, at least one panel being positioned at the bottom of the structure, two or more panels being coupled together to form the side walls, the side walls being held in place by one or more magnets embedded in or added to said panels. The magnets are located on the vertical edges of the panels.

[0019] Another aspect of the invention provides a modular open field apparatus comprising a square or rectangular or rounded shaped panel to be placed at the lower end covering the bottom of the apparatus and one or more stackable panels.

[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the side panels of the apparatus may have openings for various purposes, such as ventilation or for introducing objects into the animal's environment inside the apparatus. Furthermore, the open field area may be divided into sectors with or without openings for specific research studies.

[0021] DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] To complement the description being made and to help better understand the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferred example of practical embodiment thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

[0023] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the open field modular apparatus.

[0024] Figure 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the open field modular apparatus.

[0025] Figure 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the open field modular apparatus.

[0026] Figure 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the open field modular apparatus in which the side wall panel and the flat panel are not joined together.

[0027] Figure 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the open field modular apparatus disclosed at the bottom.

[0028] Figure 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the open field modular apparatus.

[0029] Figure 7 is another perspective view of an embodiment of the open field modular apparatus shown below.

[0030] Figure 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an exploded view of the open field modular apparatus. Figure 9 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the flanged sidewall panel.

[0031] Figure 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the flat panel.

[0032] PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0033] A first embodiment of an open field modular apparatus (1) is shown in Figure 1, including at least two side wall panels (11), at least two flat panels (12), and one or more cover panels (13), the side wall panels (11) and the flat panels (12) extending perpendicularly from a bottom-lying cover panel (13). The side wall panels (11) have tabs (111) extending along two vertical edges thereof, the tabs (111) including a plurality of magnets (14). The flat panels (12) include a plurality of magnets (14) positioned at the vertical edges of the flat panel (12) in a position matching other magnets (14) positioned on the side wall panels (11) providing a solid assembly for the open field modular apparatus (1).

[0034] In accordance with the present invention, both the side wall panels (11) and the flat panels (12) include one or more pairs of opposing magnets (14). A modular open field apparatus (1) is assembled by joining a first side wall panel (11) to a first flat panel (12) from the edges where the magnets (14) are located and continuing to add the second side wall panel (11) to the already attached flat panel (12) and then attaching the other flat panel (12) to the already installed side wall panels (11), and optionally a cover panel (13) is placed underneath to close the bottom of the modular open field apparatus (1).

[0035] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, one or more magnets (14) may be embedded or attached to the side wall panels (11) and flat panels (12) by a method known in the prior art. Different types of magnets (14) may be used, such as neodymium magnets, alnico magnets, ferrite magnets, and the like. The use of a stronger type of permanent magnet reinforces the structural integrity of the open field modular apparatus (1).

[0036] The open field modular apparatus (1) of the present invention is disassembled by applying a force on the side wall panel (11) in a direction from the center of the open field modular apparatus (1) to the outside of all panels (side wall panels (11) and flat panels (12)) are separated from each other. All disassembled side wall panels (11) and flat panels (12) and cover panels (13) can be stored one on top of the other saving space.

[0037] In accordance with the present invention, the side wall panels (11) and the flat panels (12) forming a modular open field apparatus (1) are made of a solid, non-reflective, durable and easy to clean material, wherein the material comprises, but is not limited to, methacrylate, polycarbonate, clear acrylic and the like. The color of the side wall panels (11), the flat panels (12) and the cover panel (13) may be white, gray, clear or other color depending on the specific experiments to be performed.

[0038] According to an example of the invention, a square-shaped open field modular apparatus (1) can be installed by joining flat panels (12) with dimensions of 50 cm height X 40 cm width, to tabs (111) of side wall panels (11) with dimensions of 50 cm height X 40 cm width, ensuring the connection between the magnets (14) of the flat panels (12) and the side wall panels (11) in less than 20 seconds by only one person. The magnets (14) are embedded in the flat panels (12) and the tabs (111) of the side wall panels (11) and said magnets (14) can have a circular shape with a diameter of 5 to 15 mm, preferably 10 mm or a square or rectangular shape with different sizes. The tabs (111) where the magnets (14) are embedded surround the vertical edges of the side wall panel (11).The size of the open field modular apparatus (1) can be reduced or enlarged depending on the test animal and the purpose of the experiment. This configuration requires two flat panels (12) and two side wall panels (11).

[0039] The open field modular apparatus (1) with a rectangular shape can be installed by joining at least two flat panels (12) for each longer side of the open field modular apparatus (1) in which two side wall panels (11) are used to form sides of said open field modular apparatus (1).

[0040] The modular open field apparatus (1) with a square or rectangular shape having intermediate panels provides different sectors in said modular open field apparatus (1). Additionally, the modular open field apparatus (1) can be configured in various ways, such as a maze or as a high wall system, etc. For example, this modular system can be used to set up a 3-chamber (3C) apparatus. This arena is an established method for performing social interaction tests in mice and rats. It consists of a rectangular arena subdivided into three smaller rectangular arenas of the same size. In this sense, the test animal is placed in the central arena and a mouse is located in one of the side arenas. Therefore, the amount of time the mouse spends in each of them is tested.

[0041] This modular system will allow the largest rectangular arena to be assembled with two sidewall panels (11) and two extended flat panels (12) or two flat panels joined on each side to form the rectangle. Intermediate flat panels with a door would be required to allow free movement of the animals.

[0042] Furthermore, 3C's Canon devices are heavy and take up a significant amount of storage space. This is just one example of the versatility of this system, which can be mounted in a myriad of ways as needed.

[0043] For more sophisticated applications, the open field modular apparatus (1) can be equipped with infrared beams, sensors, video cameras associated with software.

[0044] Experiments in a modular open field apparatus (1) described in the present invention make it possible to evaluate the basal activity of the test animal and its evolution, in response to novelty in the environment, variations in light or sound, genetic manipulation, injury or pharmacological treatment. In the modular open field apparatus (1) disclosed with the present invention, the trajectory and speed of the test animal are explored to identify changes in its motor activity, immobility time and distribution of travel time within the arena or periphery (a measure of anxiety), as well as the existence of possible stereotyped behaviors. The modular open field apparatus (1) of the invention is compatible with any of the video activity tracking systems available on the market.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A modular open field apparatus (1), comprising: - at least two flat panels (12) having one or more magnets (14) located along the vertical edges thereof that provide a fastening mechanism to the open field modular apparatus (1), and - at least two side wall panels (11) having one or more tabs (111) with one or more magnets (14) in a position matching the magnets (14) positioned on the flat panels (12) wherein said tabs (111) extend from vertical edges of said side wall panels (11) receiving the flat panels (12); wherein the flat panels (12) and the side wall panels (11) are joined together to form said open field modular apparatus (1).

2. The open field modular apparatus (1) of claim 1, further comprising one or more cover panels (13) for closing the lower or upper end or both of the open field modular apparatus (1).

3. The open field modular apparatus (1) of claim 1, wherein the side wall panels (11) and the flat panels (12) have a square, rectangular or polyhedral shape.

4. The open field modular apparatus (1) of claim 1, further comprising one or more flat panels (12) within said open field modular apparatus (1) to provide different configurations such as a maze, divided sections, etc.

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