Look to Campden Instruments and Lafayette Instrument Company for a "Science above Hardware" approach not found from any other supplier. The fully validated chambers described below are supported by ready to run ABET II Touch Paradigms including images, and a Whisker ® Server-based Controller for up to four test chambers. Plus, we provide the ability for the user to write their own scheduling, with web-based training. ABET II Touch software gives you ease of use, programming power, data analysis, versatility, and flexibility.
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Not just a touch screen, everything about the Bussey-Saksida chamber is different
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Not just another square sheet metal box, the Bussey-Saksida chamber has a unique trapezoidal wall shape to focus the animal's attention and is made from machined parts that simply slot together. The chamber can also be configured to a modular square chamber with panels, levers, lights, and a range of other operator
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This equipment can run both autoshaping and a variety of operant tasks in the same chamber, with chamber configuration from autoshaping to one of the other proven paradigms in seconds Not just a touch screen, this is the ultimate modular chamber for high throughput. For example, do Visual Discrimination and Reversal in the morning and Five Choice Serial Reaction Time Task in the afternoon
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To enable such a high throughput, the chamber can be taken apart and reassembled in seconds for easy cleaning
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Get up and running quickly, with the Easy-Install Kit and buy proven tasks pre-programmed in ABET II Touch or get programming yourself quickly and easily with web-enabled online help from Campden Instruments and Lafayette Instrument Company
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Translational research: test rodents on tasks virtually identical to tasks used to test human populations
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The Bussey-Saksida Chambers and WhiskerServer ® originate from the department of Prof. Trevor Robbins, Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, England
The Touch Screen Paradigms:
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Visual Discrimination and Reversal (VDR)
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Paired Associate Learning (PAL)
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Location Discrimination Learning (LD)
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Visuospatial Conditional Learning (VCL)
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5-choice Serial Reaction Time Task (5-CSRT)
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Trial-Unique Nonmatching-to-Location (TUNL) [rat only at this time]
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Autoshaping
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Extinction
Visual Discrimination and Reversal Task (VDR)
Age-related impairments in the R6/2 Huntington's disease mouse model
Morton, Skillings, Bussey & Saksida (2006) Nature Methods
Paired Associate Learning Task (PAL)
Intra-hippocampal infusions of MK-801 impair performance of the PAL task
But perhaps the most promising data from this task comes from our studies using donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that is a commonly prescribed drug for AD in the UK. Donepezil enhanced performance on PAL in a dose-dependent manner. This result shows that PAL is able to detect cognitive enhancements, as well as impairments.
Location Discrimination Learning Task (LD)
McTighe, Mar, Romberg, Bussey & Saksida (2009) NeuroReport
Neurogenesis knock-down impairs pattern separation in the Location Discrimination Task
Clelland, Choi, Romberg, Clemenson, Fragniere, Tyers, Jessberger, Saksida, Barker, Gage & Bussey (2009) Science
Dorsal hippocampal lesions impair pattern separation in the Location Discrimination Task
McTighe, Mar, Romberg, Bussey & Saksida (2009) NeuroReport
Autoshaping
Impairments in Autoshaping (Pavlovian approach) following posttraining injections of the dopamine D1 antagonist SCH23390 or the NMDA antagonist AP-5.
