阅读说明：本技术 用于研究动物行为控制神经机制的装置 (Device for studying animal behavior control neural mechanism ) 是由 周瑾 王常勇 马金旭 于 2020-06-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种用于研究动物行为控制神经机制的装置,包括：支架,其具有水平板和竖直板；目标物,其设置于所述竖直板上,所述目标物用于供动物触摸；第一压力传感器,其设置于所述目标物的前端；第二压力传感器,其设置于所述水平板靠近前边缘的位置；指令灯,其包括用于发出绿光的第一指令灯以及用于发出红光的第二指令灯；所述第一指令灯和所述第二指令灯设置于所述竖直板上并位于所述目标物的两侧；其中：在动物按压所述第二压力传感器后,所述第一指令灯和所述第二指令灯随机的点亮其中一个；所述第一指令灯通过点亮用于指示动物触摸目标物；所述第二指令灯通过点亮用于指示动物禁止触摸目标物。(The invention discloses a device for researching animal behavior control neural mechanism, comprising: a bracket having a horizontal plate and a vertical plate; the target object is arranged on the vertical plate and is used for being touched by an animal; a first pressure sensor provided at a tip of the target; a second pressure sensor disposed on the horizontal plate near the front edge; the instruction lamp comprises a first instruction lamp for emitting green light and a second instruction lamp for emitting red light; the first instruction lamp and the second instruction lamp are arranged on the vertical plate and are positioned on two sides of the target object; wherein: after the animal presses the second pressure sensor, one of the first instruction lamp and the second instruction lamp is randomly lightened; the first instruction lamp is used for indicating the animal to touch the target object by lighting; the second instruction lamp is used for indicating the animal to forbid touching the target object by lighting.)

1. An apparatus for studying behavioral control neural mechanisms in animals, comprising:

the support comprises a horizontal plate, a vertical plate arranged at the rear side of the horizontal plate and support legs positioned below the horizontal plate and used for supporting and enabling the horizontal plate to have a certain height, wherein the middle part of the front side of the horizontal plate is an area for animals to stand;

the target object is arranged on the vertical plate and is used for being touched by an animal;

a first pressure sensor provided at a tip of the target;

a second pressure sensor disposed on the horizontal plate near the front edge;

the instruction lamp comprises a first instruction lamp for emitting green light and a second instruction lamp for emitting red light; the first instruction lamp and the second instruction lamp are arranged on the vertical plate and are positioned on two sides of the target object; wherein:

after the animal presses the second pressure sensor, one of the first instruction lamp and the second instruction lamp is randomly lightened;

the first instruction lamp is used for indicating the animal to touch the target object by lighting;

the second instruction lamp is used for indicating the animal to forbid touching the target object by lighting;

the first pressure sensor is used for sensing whether the animal touches the target object.

2. The apparatus for studying behavioral control neural mechanisms of animals according to claim 1, further comprising an indicator light; the indicator light comprises a first indicator light and a second indicator light;

the first indicator light is arranged on the horizontal plate and used for emitting colorless light;

the second indicator light is arranged on the vertical plate and used for emitting yellow light; wherein:

after the animal presses a second sensor, the first indicator light is turned off, the second indicator light is simultaneously turned on and delays for a preset time, and meanwhile, one of the first indicator light and the second indicator light is randomly turned on;

and the second indicator light is lightened to prompt the animal to perform subsequent actions after the animal touches and presses the second pressure sensor.

3. The apparatus for studying behavioral control neural mechanisms of animals according to claim 1, wherein the target is capable of anterior-posterior position adjustment by being driven by a driving mechanism; wherein:

the drive mechanism includes:

the guide cylinder is vertically fixed on the vertical plate and provided with a guide hole, and the section of the guide hole is in a circular-segment shape;

the guide post is connected to the rear end of the target object, the guide post extends into the guide hole, the section of the guide post is in a circular-segment shape, and a screw hole is formed in the guide post;

the front end of the screw rod extends into the screw hole to form spiral transmission with the screw hole;

the motor is fixed on the rear side of the vertical plate, and the rear end of the screw is connected to an output shaft of the motor.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the horizontal plate is further provided with a vertical column, the vertical column is provided with a plurality of infrared sensors arranged up and down, and the plurality of infrared sensors are used for detecting whether the limbs of the animal extend to the target.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the horizontal plate is provided with a slide rail extending forwards and backwards, the slide rail is provided with a slide block, and the upright is connected to the slide block; wherein:

the sliding block is provided with a jackscrew which is used for penetrating through the sliding block and jacking the sliding rail.

6. The apparatus for studying the animal behavior control neural mechanism according to claim 1, wherein guard rails are provided on both sides of an area where the animal stands to limit a moving range of the animal.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a device for studying animal behavior control neural mechanisms.

Background

In the process of researching the relation between the neural signals of the brain area of the animal and the actions of limbs, the applicant provides a rule for researching a neural mechanism for controlling animal behaviors, namely: the animal is given behavioral instructions whereby changes in neural signals in the brain region of the animal are observed, however, no device for implementing the above rules is used in the prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above technical problems in the prior art, embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus for studying animal behavior control neural mechanisms.

In order to solve the technical problem, the embodiment of the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

an apparatus for studying behavioral control neural mechanisms in animals, comprising:

the support comprises a horizontal plate, a vertical plate arranged at the rear side of the horizontal plate and support legs positioned below the horizontal plate and used for supporting and enabling the horizontal plate to have a certain height, wherein the middle part of the front side of the horizontal plate is an area for animals to stand;

the target object is arranged on the vertical plate and is used for being touched by an animal;

a first pressure sensor provided at a tip of the target;

a second pressure sensor disposed on the horizontal plate near the front edge;

the instruction lamp comprises a first instruction lamp for emitting green light and a second instruction lamp for emitting red light; the first instruction lamp and the second instruction lamp are arranged on the vertical plate and are positioned on two sides of the target object; wherein:

after the animal presses the second pressure sensor, one of the first instruction lamp and the second instruction lamp is randomly lightened;

the first instruction lamp is used for indicating the animal to touch the target object by lighting;

the second instruction lamp is used for indicating the animal to forbid touching the target object by lighting;

the first pressure sensor is used for sensing whether the animal touches the target object.

Preferably, the device further comprises an indicator light; the indicator light comprises a first indicator light and a second indicator light;

the first indicator light is arranged on the horizontal plate and used for emitting colorless light;

the second indicator light is arranged on the vertical plate and used for emitting yellow light; wherein:

after the animal presses a second sensor, the first indicator light is turned off, the second indicator light is simultaneously turned on and delays for a preset time, and meanwhile, one of the first indicator light and the second indicator light is randomly turned on;

and the second indicator light is lightened to prompt the animal to perform subsequent actions after the animal touches and presses the second pressure sensor.

Preferably, the target is driven by a driving mechanism to be capable of front-back position adjustment; wherein:

the drive mechanism includes:

the guide cylinder is vertically fixed on the vertical plate and provided with a guide hole, and the section of the guide hole is in a circular-segment shape;

the guide post is connected to the rear end of the target object, the guide post extends into the guide hole, the section of the guide post is in a circular-segment shape, and a screw hole is formed in the guide post;

the front end of the screw rod extends into the screw hole to form spiral transmission with the screw hole;

the motor is fixed on the rear side of the vertical plate, and the rear end of the screw is connected to an output shaft of the motor.

Preferably, the horizontal plate is further provided with a stand column, the stand column is provided with a plurality of infrared sensors which are vertically arranged, and the infrared sensors are used for detecting whether limbs of the animal extend to the target object.

Preferably, the horizontal plate is provided with a slide rail extending forwards and backwards, the slide rail is provided with a slide block, and the upright post is connected to the slide block; wherein:

the sliding block is provided with a jackscrew which is used for penetrating through the sliding block and jacking the sliding rail.

Preferably, guardrails are provided on both sides of the area where the animal stands to limit the range of motion of the animal.

Compared with the prior art, the device for researching the animal behavior control neural mechanism disclosed by the invention has the beneficial effects that:

the device provided by the invention can train the limb action of the animal based on the cooperation of the two instruction lamps and the two pressure sensors so as to obtain the change of the neural signals of the brain area of the animal in the training process, thereby researching the animal behavior control neural mechanism.

The summary of various implementations or examples of the technology described in this disclosure is not a comprehensive disclosure of the full scope or all features of the disclosed technology.

Drawings

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like reference numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like reference numerals having letter suffixes or different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate various embodiments, by way of example and not by way of limitation, and together with the description and claims, serve to explain the inventive embodiments. The same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts, where appropriate. Such embodiments are illustrative, and are not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive embodiments of the present apparatus or method.

Fig. 1 is a front view of an apparatus for studying a behavioral control neural mechanism of an animal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view of an apparatus for studying behavioral control neural mechanisms in an animal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion a of fig. 1.

Reference numerals:

11-vertical plate; 12-a horizontal plate; 13-a leg; 21-a first command light; 22-second light; 31-a first indicator light; 32-a second indicator light; 40-a target; 50-upright post; 51-infrared sensor; 60-guard bar; 71-a first pressure sensor; 72-a second pressure sensor; 81-a guide cylinder; 82-a guide post; 83-a guide hole; 84-a screw; 85-motor; 86-a threaded hole; 91-a slide rail; 92-a slider; 93-top thread; 100-region.

Detailed Description

Unless defined otherwise, technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The use of "first," "second," and similar terms in the present application do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather the terms are used to distinguish one element from another. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that the element or item listed before the word covers the element or item listed after the word and its equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "coupled" and the like are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, and when the absolute position of the object being described is changed, the relative positional relationships may also be changed accordingly.

To maintain the following description of the embodiments of the present invention clear and concise, a detailed description of known functions and known components of the invention have been omitted.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4, the present invention discloses an apparatus for studying behavioral control neural mechanisms of animals, the apparatus comprising: the device comprises a bracket, a target 40, a first pressure sensor 71, a second pressure sensor 72, a first command lamp 21, a second command lamp 22, a first indicator lamp 31, a second indicator lamp 32, a stand 50 and an infrared sensor 51.

The stand comprises a horizontal plate 12, a vertical plate 11 and legs 13. The vertical plate 11 is provided at the rear side of the horizontal plate 12, and the leg 13 is provided below the horizontal plate 12 for supporting the horizontal plate 12.

An object 40 is provided in the middle of the vertical plate 11, and the object 40 is driven by a driving mechanism to enable adjustment of the front and rear positions. Specifically, the drive mechanism includes a guide cylinder 81, a guide post 82, a screw 84, and a motor 85. The guide cylinder 81 is fixed on the vertical plate 11, and the guide cylinder 81 is provided with a guide hole 83 with a circular section; a guide post 82 is connected to the rear end of the target 40, the guide post 82 has a circular segment shape in cross section, and the guide post 82 extends into the guide hole 83; the motor 85 is installed at the rear side of the vertical plate 11; the guide post 82 is provided with a threaded hole 86, the front end of the screw 84 extends into the threaded hole 86 to form screw transmission with the threaded hole 86, the rear end of the screw 84 is connected to an output shaft of the motor 85, the motor 85 drives the screw 84 and the guide post 82 to be matched with each other to drive the target object 40 to adjust the front and rear positions.

The first pressure sensor 71 is provided at the front end of the object 40, and the second pressure sensor 72 is provided at a position of the horizontal plate 12 near the front side edge.

The first and second command lamps 21 and 22 are respectively disposed on the vertical plates 11 at both sides of the object 40, the first command lamp 21 for emitting green light, and the second command lamp 22 for emitting red light.

The first indicator light 31 is arranged on the horizontal plate 12 and close to the second pressure sensor 72, and the first indicator light 31 is used for emitting colorless light; a second indicator light 32 is provided on the vertical plate 11 above the target 40, the second indicator light 32 being for emitting yellow light.

The upright column 50 is arranged on the horizontal plate 12, a sliding block 92 is arranged below the upright column 50, a sliding rail 91 extending in the front and rear directions is arranged on the horizontal plate 12, the sliding block 92 is arranged on the sliding rail 91, a jackscrew 93 is further arranged on the sliding block 92, the head of the jackscrew 93 can be tightly abutted to the surface of the sliding rail 91 by screwing the jackscrew 93 to limit the upright column 50 to slide, the front and rear positions of the upright column 50 can be adjusted by unscrewing the jackscrew 93, and the infrared sensors 51 are arranged on the upright column 50 up and down to emit infrared rays in the left and right directions to sense the movement of limbs.

The front side of the horizontal plate 12 is a standing area 100 for the animal, and the standing area 100 has guard rails 60 on both sides thereof to limit the range of movement of the animal.

Two training paradigms that can be performed by the device based on the above structure are described below:

paradigm one infrared sensor 51 is not involved in training

The first mode is as follows:

1. the animal (e.g., the macaque, hereinafter take the macaque as an example) is located the area of standing 100, and first pilot lamp 31 lights, and the suggestion macaque presses second pressure sensor 72, presses to satisfy after the given time, and first pilot lamp 31 extinguishes, and the second pilot lamp 32 lights 300ms simultaneously (the suggestion macaque continues to do the experiment down).

2. The first indicator lamp 31 is turned off and at the same time, the first or second indicator lamp 21 or 22 is turned on, when the first indicator lamp 21 is turned on, the macaque is required to press the first pressure sensor 71 of the target object 40 within a specified time, and when the second indicator lamp 22 is turned on, the macaque is prohibited from touching the target object 40 within the specified time.

3. The macaque succeeds in completing the tasks, immediately obtains the drinking reward, and also completes one test at an interval of 2 s.

And a second mode:

1. the kiwi fruit is located the region 100 of standing, and first pilot lamp 31 lights, and the suggestion kiwi fruit presses second pressure sensor 72, presses to satisfy after the given time, and first pilot lamp 31 extinguishes, and second pilot lamp 32 lights 300ms simultaneously (the suggestion kiwi fruit continues to do the experiment down).

2. The first indicator lamp 31 is turned off, and the first command lamp 21 or the second command lamp 22 is turned on after a time delay (0-1000ms), and the rest is the same as the previous mode.

The above paradigm obtains the change of the neural signal of the brain area of the animal in the process by training the animal to perform the action under the instruction of the first instruction lamp 21 or the second instruction lamp 22.

Second paradigm infrared sensor 51 participates in training

1. The kiwi fruit is located the region 100 of standing, and first pilot lamp 31 lights, and the suggestion kiwi fruit presses second pressure sensor 72, presses to satisfy after the given time, and first pilot lamp 31 extinguishes, and second pilot lamp 32 lights 300ms simultaneously (the suggestion kiwi fruit continues to do the experiment down).

2. The first indicator lamp 31 is turned off and the infrared sensor 51 is used for detecting whether the macaque actively extends the hand towards the target object 40 before the two instruction lamps send out signals (namely, whether the macaque has an incentive to actively touch the target object 40 is judged). When the infrared sensor 51 detects the above operation, the first command lamp 21 or the second command lamp 22 is turned on at random.

3. The pattern after the first or second command lamp 21 or 22 is turned on at random is the same as that before.

The above paradigm obtains changes in neural signals of the animal in the brain region before the two command lights are obtained by infrared intervention.

Moreover, although exemplary embodiments have been described herein, the scope of the present invention includes any and all embodiments based on the present invention with equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of various embodiments across), adaptations or alterations. The elements of the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to examples described in the present specification or during the prosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. It is intended, therefore, that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims and their full scope of equivalents.

The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more versions thereof) may be used in combination with each other. For example, other embodiments may be used by those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the above description. In addition, in the above-described embodiments, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as an intention that a disclosed feature not claimed is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description as examples or embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that these embodiments may be combined with each other in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

The above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. Various modifications and equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications and equivalents should also be considered as falling within the scope of the present invention.