Rail system, and appartus and method for virtual burrow assay for a diversity of neurological and psychiatric disorders
AssigneeThe Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
InventorsTanya Tabachnik, Andrew J.P. Fink, Carl E. Schoonover, Richard Axel
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Abstract
Methods and apparatuses are provided for a virtual burrow assay for a diversity of neurological and psychiatric disorders. For example, a virtual burrow assay device including a virtual burrow (or enclosure), a linear actuator and one or more sensors is provided. A novel rail system is configured to have a lightweight configuration which, when coupled to the virtual burrow or enclosure, reduces inertia of the virtual burrow or enclosure and can facilitate nearly-frictionless motion of the virtual burrow or enclosure.
Claims29
An apparatus configured for a virtual burrow assay for behavioral study of a subject animal, the apparatus comprising:
- an enclosure having an ingress and an egress, the enclosure extending in a longitudinal direction parallel to the anterior-posterior direction, from the egress to the ingress;
- a linear actuator coupled to the enclosure to move the enclosure in the longitudinal direction;
- a rail system including two or more parallel shafts to which the enclosure is coupled slidingly, the enclosure sliding along the parallel shafts as the enclosure is moved by the linear actuator in the longitudinal direction;
- one or more sensors each configured and disposed to detect at least one of a displacement of the enclosure and a force exerted by the subject animal against the linear actuator via the enclosure, as the enclosure is moved, under constraint of the rail system coupled to the enclosure and to the linear actuator, in the longitudinal direction, and to output sensor data;
- and
- a control system to control the linear actuator and the one or more sensors, and to collect and register the sensor data output by the one or more sensors, into a database of collected sensor data.
A virtual burrow apparatus configured for behavioral study of a subject animal and optimized for nearly-frictionless linear motion in an anterior-posterior direction of the subject animal, the apparatus comprising:
- an enclosure having an ingress and an egress, the enclosure extending from the egress to the ingress, in a longitudinal direction parallel to an anterior-posterior direction of the subject animal;
- a linear actuator coupled to the enclosure to move the enclosure in the longitudinal direction;
- and
- a rail system including
- a pair of parallel shafts each arranged in the longitudinal direction, and
- two air bearings coupled to the enclosure and configured to be penetrated by the respective parallel shafts and to slide nearly-frictionlessly along the longitudinal direction of the parallel shafts as the enclosure is moved by the linear actuator in the longitudinal direction.
A nearly-frictionless rail system comprising:
- a pair of shafts disposed parallel to each other;
- two air bearings coupled to an attachment and configured to be penetrated by the respective parallel shafts;
- two support block members to support respective ends in the longitudinal direction of the pair of parallel shafts, each support block member amongst the support block members including two orifices to receive the respective shafts.
- a bridge member coupled to the air bearings and to the attachment, and via which the two air bearings are coupled to each other;
- the air bearings penetrated by the respective shafts sliding nearly-frictionlessly along a longitudinal direction of the parallel shafts as the attachment moves in the longitudinal direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.