A new precise microcomputer based rotometer.
The rotometer described here consists of a data acquisition system made of several reed relays which are activated by a small moving magnet when the animal performs rotations. The apparatus has an angular discrimination which is dependent on the number of reed relays used. A simple interface is used to normalize the pulses produced when the reed relay contacts are closed. This normalized output closes key contacts in the keyboard of a microcomputer resulting in ASCII strings. A simple BASIC program is used for computation of various turn fractions. The program also calculates the total number of movements over time, allowing the assessment of activity vs. time.
Pons
S
S
Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
López
J A
JA
Ramis
C
C
Planas
B
B
Rial
R
R
D000662:Amphetamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D004581:Electronics; D008838:Microcomputers; D051381:Rats; D012399:Rotation; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
D000662:Amphetamines