An automated method for measurement of circling behavior in the mouse.

Circling behavior in animals lesioned unilaterally in one striatum with 6-hydroxydopamine is widely used to test pharmacological compounds with dopaminergic activity. Although automated techniques employed to record this behavior have previously been reported, most of these methods either limit the movement of the animal or are less reliable for various reasons. This paper describes a new method which allows the free movement of the animal in addition to recording the circling behavior automatically. Furthermore, this device provides new and unique data on the diameter and total area of the circles that are circumscribed by the animal. Consequently, the present device may prove to be a better and more reliable tool to assess the pharmacological effect of drugs on the striatal dopaminergic system.