Introduction:
Striatech’s OptoDrum automatically determines the visual abilities of mice and rats. Based on the optomotor reflex, the OptoDrum’s fully automated and reliable analysis finds visual acuity and contrast sensitivity quickly and objectively.
For a wide range of pre-clinical research applications, the OptoDrum is a convenient, automated, fast, and objective in-vivo tool to screen for visual dysfunction and disease progression.
Applications include:
– ophthalmology
– pharmacology
– disease models
– toxicology
– phenotyping
Advantages:
Fully automated process – Automated animal detection · Automated optomotor reflex analysis · Automated adjustement of stimulus pattern · Automated assessment of visual threshold · Fast, objective, and bias-free results
Non-invasive – No fixation or surgery is required · Animal can freely move inside the arena · Disease progression can be monitored over time because animals can be tested repeatedly, even daily
Cost saving and effective – No animal training is necessary · No training of personnel needed: the software does the work for you! · Takes as little as 4 min per animal
Easy handling and maintenance – Can be used right out of the box · Front door allows easy handling of animal and easy cleaning
For mice and rats – Larger OptoDrumPLUS available for experiments with rats · OptoDrumPLUS can also be used with mice
Test rod-specific vision – Scotopic kit available to test rod vision · Variable adjustment of brightness in steps of 1 log unit
OptoDrum: Functioning and Software:
In the OptoDrum, the animal sits on an elevated platform, surrounded by computer monitors. A camera observes the behavior of the animal from above. We trigger the optomotor reflex with a black-and-white stripe pattern on the screens that rotates around the animal. By making the stripe pattern more difficult, one eventually reaches the threshold of the animal’s vision and the reflex is not triggered anymore. This allows to determine the animal’s visual acuity (by making the stripes finer) or contrast sensitivity (by reducing the contrast of the stripes).
This process is fully automated in the OptoDrum. The OptoDrum’s software easily guides you through the measurements. You can keep full control over the testing protocol, or you can let the OptoDrum determine your animal’s visual threshold completely automatically.
The following picture illustrates important concepts:
