Place Preference

Place Preference

A flexible and versatile system for measuring place preference using Photobeam measurement and recording

The SDI Place Preference system measures and records an animal’s preferred location utilizing photobeams lodged in all three chambers of the station. As beams are broken, the beam type counter is updated. No programming is required to set up a test. You just set session time, interval, session and subject identification to start the test. The SDI Place Preference software automatically gathers and time stamps every change in Photobeam configuration throughout the entire test session. A complete report is generated showing the entrance to each chamber and time in chamber for each entrance, plus total entrances to each chamber and total time in each chamber.  Additionally the number of Ambulation and Find beam breaks are shown on the report.

Unlike other place preference systems, SDI’s Place Preference system utilizes a 4x16 beam array, providing not only the chamber preference of the animal but also the animal track and overall activity while in a chamber. Place Preference additionally measures the same activity data as our Open Field system, including ambulation movements, fine movements and the ability to redraw the path of the animal after the test.

Place Preference software conveniently stores all details relating to a Session in a Microsoft Access database. You can use a single database to store data from multiple sessions, from the same experiment.  This is useful if you are running the same animals through multiple tests, or running several groups of animals through the same tests.  Having all the related data together makes aggregation and analysis significantly more convenient. Among the benefits of the integration between place preference and the popular and widely-used MS Access database system are: One Touch Exporting to Stats Packages, Data Kept Together, Clearly Identified Columns, Powerful Query Functions, Powerful Reporting Functions, and Seamless Integration with MS Excel.

Place Preference Features

• Measure exploration, entrance, time-in-chamber, fine movement and ambulation
• Flexible, three chamber station with removable floors, doors, photobeams and lights
• Interchangeable chamber floors for testing different textures
• Fully-risible doors for unobstructed viewing of end chambers
• No heat LED lighting does not affect test results
• Photobeam measurement for automatic recording and time stamping of animal movements
• Microsoft Access data file collects test data for exporting into statistical programs
• SDI Place Preference Report

The SDI Place Preference system records:

• Exploration – first beam break in the chamber
• Entrance – beam break beyond first beam in the chamber
• Fine Motor – repeated break of the same beam
• Ambulation – breaking different beams in the chamber

Place Preference System Components

• Plexiglas, three chamber station with removable doors
• LED light sets
• Photobeams
• Removable, two-sided floors (rough and smooth texture)
• SDI Place Preference software
• Cables & connectors

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