PhenoTyper
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The many uses of the PhenoTyper
Because of its customizability, the PhenoTyper is a great fit for many types of behavioral research. Some of these applications are detailed below. However, there are many more uses besides these ones. Contact us to see whether or not the PhenoTyper can enhance your behavioral research, or watch some of the webinars to see why testing in a home cage is important.
PhenoTyper and social interaction
PhenoTyper is perfect to study social interaction in great detail. You can even prompt stimuli responding to animal behavior. For example, release a food reward when animals are in the same area together, or when they both press a lever. This protocol can easily be automated with EthoVision XT.


PhenoTyper and operant conditioning
PhenoTyper is ideal for operant conditioning tests: in combination with EthoVision XT, procotols are easily automated. For example, switch on a light when your mouse enters a zone, give the rat a food reward after a lever press, or switch on the brake of the Activity wheel after a number of rotations. There are a large number of operant modules that can be connected to the PhenoTyper cage, for example to automatically apply an air puff or give a food reward.
PhenoTyper and anxiety testing
You can use mild aversive stimuli for anxiety testing in PhenoTyper. You can, for example, automatically switch on a light when your animal enters a certain zone or illuminate the food hopper in the dark period when the animal has been eating or drinking for a certain time. But you can also equip PhenoTyper with an illuminated shelter that can be controlled with EthoVision XT’s Trial & Hardware Control Module. This way a light can switch on automatically when the animal enters the shelter, or chooses a specific shelter entrance. You can extend your setup with other TTL-based hardware. This way you can adjust your anxiety tests entirely to your needs.

Download our product overview
Webinars
Other related stories and product videos
Using PhenoTyper for longitudinal studies
Dr. Do Rego, University of Rouen, France
Study anxiety and depression to transform mental health care
Dr. Thomas Prévôt, University of Toronto, Canada
Optogenetics and PhenoTyper
How to use PhenoTyper
References
Here's a selection of recent publications with PhenoTyper. Let us know if you want your publication to be added at [email protected]!
- Arroyo-Araujo, M.; Graf, R. Maco, M. Dam, van, E.; Schenker, E. Drinkenburg, W.; Koopmans, B.; Boer, de S.F.; Cullum-Doyle, M.; Noldus, L.P.J.J.; Loos, M.; Dommelen, van W.; Spooren, W.; Biemans, B.; Buhl, D.L.; Kas, B.J. (2019). Reproducibility via coordinated standardization: a multi-cednter study in a shank2 genetic rat model for autism spectrum disorders. Scientific Reports, 9:11602, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-47981-0
- Hull, C.; Dekeryte, R.; Koss, D.J.; Crouch, B.; Buchanan, H.; Belibegovic, M.; Platt, B. (2019). Knock-in of mutated hTAU causes insulin resistance, inflammation and proteostasis disturbance in a mouse model of frontotemporal dementia. Molecular Neurobiology, doi: 10.1007/s12035-019-01722-6.
- Jankovic, M.J.; Kapadia, P.P.; Krishnan, V. (2019). Home-cage monitoring ascertains signatures of ictal and interictal behavior in mouse models of generalized seizures. PLOS ONE, e0224856.
- Luo, S.X. Huang, J.; Li, Q.; Mohammad, H.; Lee, C-Y.; Krishna, K.; Kok, A. M-Y.; Tan, Y.L.; Li, H.; Yeow, L.Y.; Sun, J.; He, M.; Grandjean, J.; Sajikumar, S.; Han, W.; Fu, Y. (2018). Regulation of feeding by somatostatin neurons in the tuberal nucleus. Science, 361, 76, DOI: 10.1126/science.aar4983
- McNamara, G.I.; John, R.M.; Isles, A.R.; (2018). Territorial behavior and social stability in the mouse require correct expression of imprinted Cdkn1c. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, doi:10.3389/fnbeh2018.00028.
- Nikolova, Y.S.; Misquitta, K.A.; Rocco, B.R.; Prevot, T.D.; Knodt, A.R.; Ellegood, J.; Voineskos, A.N.; Lerch, J.P.; Hariri, A.R.; Sibille, E.; Banasr, M. (2018). Shifting priorities: highly conserved behavioral and brain network adaptations to chronic stress across species. Translational Psychiatry, doi:10.1038/s41398-017-0083-5.
- Prevot T.D.; Misquitta K.A.; Fee C.; Newton D.F.; Chatterjee D.; Nikolova Y.S.; Sibille E.; Banasr M (2019). Residual avoidance: A new, consistent and repeatable readout of chronic stress-induced conflict anxiety reversible by antidepressant treatment. Neuropharmacology, 153, 98-110. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.05.005.
- Rhine, M.A.; Parrott, J.M.; Schultz, M.N.; Kazdoba, T.M.; Crawley, J.N. (2019). Hypothesis-driven investigations of diverse pharmacological targets in two mouse models of autism. Autism research, 12(3), 401-421.
- Torruella-Suarez, M.L.; Vandenberg, J.R.; Tipton, G.J.; Luster, B.R.; Dange, K.; Patel, G.K.; McHenry, J.A.; Hardaway, J.A.; Kantak, P.A.; Crowley, N.A.; DiBerto, J.F.; Faccidomo, S.P.; Hodge, C.W.; Stuber, G.D.; McElligott, Z.A. (2018). Manipulation of central amygdala neurotensin neurons alters alcohol consumption. BioRxiv, doi:10.1101/245274.
- Urb, M.; Niinep, K.; Matsalu, T.; Kipper, K.; Herodes, K.; Zharkovsky, A.; Timmusk, T.; Anier, K.; Kalda, A. (2019). The role of DNA methyltransferase activity in cocaine treatment and withdrawal in the nucleus accumbens of mice. Addiction Biology, doi: 10.1111/adb.12720.
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