A COMPUTER-CONTROLLED APPARATUS FOR MEASURING AND ANALYZING MYOCLONICJERK ACTIVITY IN GUINEA-PIGS

Guinea pigs respond to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) with a complex beha vioural syndrome which includes distinctive whole-body jerks (myocloni c jerks). These are species-specific, involve all major muscle groups, are highly rhythmic and can occur with relatively high frequency (1-2 /s). Current methods of quantifying the response, which rely on observ er ratings are unsatisfactory. We report the development of a fully au tomated, PC-based system for detecting and analysing myoclonic jerks. Floor-mounted accelerometers generate a movement signal and detection is performed by an algorithm based on a detailed analysis of the topog raphy of myoclonic jerk responses. The system can monitor the output f rom 10 purpose-built test enclosures and it provides for pseudorandom treatment allocation, flexible control of experimental parameters and automated data output to a spreadsheet which generates appropriate gra phs, statistical summaries and data analysis. This robust response pro vides a useful means of exploring the role of novel 5-HT receptor subt ypes in guinea-pig behaviour.