Rotational behaviour has proved a popular technique for screening the behavioural effects of a wide variety of lesions, drugs, and other experimental manipulations on the brain of rodents. This test is widely carried out in experiments using animal models of Parkinson disease with unilateral lesions in the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system.
Basically, the subject wears an adjustable harness with a soft ring connected to the rotation sensor by a flexible tie. The subject is then placed into a transparent container (cylinder or bowl) with a lateral support for a vertical stand.
A bi-directional rotation sensor provides a double (right and left turns) output with adjustable regulation of pulses/turns. Two configurations are available for rotation counting: individual counter or a multicounter.
When using a multicounter, the new SEDACOM 2.0 version provides an easy and convenient way to visualize and export the data on a computer for further analysis.