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RotaRod for Mice and Rats

Product Code:47650/47750

The RotaRod is a simple test to assess motor function and coordination in rodents. Motor coordination or fatigue can be evaluated by measuring the time the animal stays on a rotating rod before falling. The Rod can rotate at constant, accelerating, rocking (back and forth) or through complex acceleration/deceleration ramps, thanks to the included PC software XPad.

The Ugo Basile RotaRod is the 1st and original, invented after the Dunham and Miya method (1957) and today has more than 6,200 citations in the literature. Ugo Basile RotaRod comes in a mouse 5-lane version, in a Rat 4-lane version and in a “Large Rat” version, plus Rod Adapters to enlarge the diameter of the rod and Complex Wheels to add a complexity element for the animal to be tested.

As the inventor of the RotaRod, we continue to improve our best-selling and gold standard device for motor function and coordination by developing new accessories and technologies to change the complexity and increase the sensitivity of the experiment.

Want to increase RotaRod test sensitivity? Discover more about the new Complex Wheel for Mouse and Rat RotaRod.

Want to add multiple parameters to change the complexity of your RotaRod experiment? Discover more about Enlargers for Mouse and Rat RotaRod.

Model
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An extended warranty can be added for most Ugo Basile products. You can find this information in the ordering information section of each product.
To learn more about the extended warranty, CLICK HERE

Background

The rotarod test, invented by Dunham and Miya (1957) and transformed into a science-grade device by Ugo Basile, is one of the oldest used in assessing the effects of a drug on animal behavior. Today it is obviously used in phenotyping and not only in drug screening.

Drugs (e.g. benzodiazepines) or specific phenotypes alter neuromuscular coordination and hence the time that the mouse or rat remains on the rotating rod.

Multiple animals can be tested at the same time and several protocols exist to train and assess the motory coordination through the falling time.

The output results include for each lane:

  • Time elapsed
  • Revolutions
  • Distance
  • Speed
  • Rotating mode

System components and main features

  • The Ugo Basile RotaRod comes complete with:
    • An electronic unit with touch screen to set all parameters and save data
    • USB port to save data and export them in CSV files
    • A PC software to build custom rotation ramps and populate your animal vivarium
  • Additional features include:
    • TTL input/outputs for trip box status and start/stop of the test
    • COM port for maintenance purposes
    • Ethernet port for support and maintenance (to be used at the factory only)

Feature

Benefit

Constant, rocking, accelerating and complex accelerating ramps              

Flexibility for performing virtually all types of motor function and coordination behavioral experiments

Mouse-Rat combination package

The same device cannot be used effectively (think of cleaning) on rats and mice without risk of confounding factors, so a highly discounted package is available for those that buy the two models.

Optional Rod enlarger

It allows to test different animal models and also to vary the test difficulty without acting on the speed or mode

Optional Complex Wheels Thanks to the irregular rung and adjustable pattern, the test gains in complexity and sensitivity

Speed adjustable from 3 to 80 RPMs and multiple modes (constant, rocking, accelerating, complex accelerating ramps)

Allows for a very broad range of animal models and experimental settings

Control unit and USB key saving

No need to connect a PC

Automatic conversion of data into CSV files for the USB stick Possibility to open files in Excel
PC software Possibility to populate your vivarium of animals and to build complex temperature ramps

General

Commands

4,3” touch-screen, usable with gloves

Read-out

Touch-screen and PC (via USB key)

Power Requirement

Universal input 100-240 VAC, 50-60Hz, 40W max.

Sound Level

< 60 dB (A)

Operating Temperature

10° to 40° C

Trip Box Stainless-steel to ease sterilization
Dimensions
Animal Mice (47650)
Rats (47750) Large Rats (47750-D01)
Lanes 5 lanes for mice 4 lanes for Rats 4 lanes
Rod diameter 3 cm 6 cm 8 cm
Rod Width 5,8 cm 8,7 cm 12 cm
Fall Height 16 cm 30 cm 40 cm

Operation

Speed

Adjustable from 3 to 80 RPM, in steps of 1 RPM (Custom ramp mode allows start from 0RPM)

Mode

Constant, ramp, reverse ramp, custom ramp and rocking

Start/Stop

From the touch-screen 

Detection

Trip box magnetic sensor

Results

Time Elapsed, Revolutions, Distance, Speed, Mode for each lane

Data Acquisition

.csv exported file (via USB key)

Data Portability

By USB flash drive

TTL Output

Trip box status, rotating direction, start/stop experiment

Data Out

exported to .cvs

Data In

Import protocol and custom ramps

Physical

  Mice (47650) Rats (47750) Large Rats (47750-D01)
Total Weight 11 Kg 15 Kg 17 Kg
Shipping Weight 16 Kg 21 Kg 40 Kg
Dimensions 46 x 28 x 33 cm 55 x 46 x 57 cm 70 x 46 x 65 cm
Packing Dimensions 70 x 36 x 46 cm 70 x 36 x 46 cm 77 x 65 x 83 cm
Warranty
Warranty Mouse, Rat and Large Rat Rotarods are covered by a 12 months warranty + 12 months upon product registration
UB-Care Additional UB-Care can be added for additional 12 or 24 months  

The RotaRod test is commonly used in combination with other motor tests, such as grip strength and hanging test to measure, motor function, coordination and balance.

The test starts with a training trial with the animals placed on the rod rotating at the lowest speed.  A time threshold (e.g. 1 minute) is set, below which the animal is immediately put back on the RotaRod until it stays on the rod for the threshold time.

After training, the real trials start and the latency to fall as well as the other parameters (see above) are recorded.

The classic test was run at constant speed, but already in the ‘60s (Jones and Roberts, 1968), the advantages of using accelerating modes were shown, such as training reduction, increased sensitivity and statistical significance improvement.

The test is used to test motor deficits in the most common animal models of Parkinson’s, ALS, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, brain injury and all models where motor coordination and function is to be investigated.

RotaRod

47650 Mouse RotaRod

Mouse RotaRod with USB output and USB flash drive (E-AU 101), including instruction Manual and X-PAD Software Package

47750 Rat RotaRod

Rat RotaRod with USB output and USB flash drive (E-AU 101), including instruction Manual and X-PAD Software Package

47750-D01 Large Rat RotaRod Large Rat RotaRod with USB output and USB flash drive (E-AU 101), including instruction Manual and X-PAD Software Package
47850 Combination Package Mouse + Rat RotaRods Combination Package 47650 Mouse RotaRod + 47750 Rat RotaRod with USB output and USB flash drive (E-AU 101), including instruction Manual and X-PAD Software Package

Optionals

47650-325 Mouse RotaRod black enlarger with grooves, 60 mm diameter instead of original 30 mm (5 pieces set, magnetic fixing)
47650-326 Mouse RotaRod black enlarger with rubber (smooth), 60 mm diameter instead of original 30 mm (5 pieces set, magnetic fixing)
47650-327 Mouse RotaRod Complex Wheel (30 bars) (suitable for Mouse RotaRod SKU 47650)
47750-325 Rat RotaRod black enlarger with grooves, 120 mm diameter instead of original 60 mm (4 pieces set, magnetic fixing)
47750-326 Rat RotaRod black enlarger with rubber (smooth), 120 mm diameter instead of original 60 mm (4 pieces set, magnetic fixing)
47750-327 Rat RotaRod Complex Wheel (22 bars) (suitable for Rat RotaRod SKU 47750; not suitable for Large Rat RotaRod SKU 47750-D01)
47650-UBC12 UB Care 12 Additional hardware warranty extension 12 months for Mouse RotaRod (Valid for SKU 47650)
47650-UBC24 UB Care 24 Additional hardware warranty extension 24 months for Mouse RotaRod (Valid for SKU 47650)
47750-UBC12 UB Care 12 Additional hardware warranty extension 12 months for Rat RotaRod (Valid for SKU 47750)
47750-UBC24 UB Care 24 Additional hardware warranty extension 24 months for Rat RotaRod (Valid for SKU 47750)
47750-D01-UBC12 UB Care 12 Additional hardware warranty extension 12 months for Large Rat RotaRod (Valid for SKU 47750-D01)
47750-D01-UBC24 UB Care 24 Additional hardware warranty extension 24 months for Large Rat RotaRod (Valid for SKU 47750-D01)
 
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Mouse
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Rat
 
M. Kimura,  H. Shiokawa, Y. Karashima. M. Sumie, S. Hoka, K. Yamaura, 2020, “Antinociceptive effect of selective G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ channel agonist ML297 in the rat spinal cord”, Plos One
 
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