The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 14, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 22, 1999
David Ferster, Evanston, IL (US);
Eva Redei, Chicago, IL (US);
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (US);
Abstract
A method and system for automatically measuring an animal's response to his environment in a behavioral test that is indicative of the animal's mental or emotion state. For the behavioral test known as the Porsolt Forced Swim test, a pair of spaced electrodes is positioned in a tank of water in which an animal is placed. A current is applied to the electrodes to generate a voltage across the electrodes that varies with the height of the water at the electrodes and to thus provide an indication of the animal's movement in the water. The electrode signal is processed to determine the energy of the perturbations in the water caused by the animal's movement. This data is used to provide a graphical representation of the animal's activity over time. The data is also compared to one or more thresholds to distinguish various types of behavior, such as floating, swimming and climbing.