Panlab/Harvard Apparatus Treadmills are rolling belts with an adjustable speed and slope, enabling forced exercise training and accurate testing of fatigue in rodents. Different models are available depending on the user's needs from one to five lanes/animals.

These Treadmills have an adjustable speed (up to 150 cm/s) and slope (from -25 to +25 degrees) and a control Unit. The rolling belt is built with specially selected materials to guarantee the best performance under conditions of intensive use and the minimum operations of maintenance, as well as simplicity in keeping it clean. The lanes (corridors of activity for the animal) have sufficient width for the subject to correct its errors in coordination, thereby allowing an exact measurement of the fatigue without deficiencies in motor coordination.

The unit controls the speed of the belt, shows measured data in its display, provides current to the shocking grid and allows communication with the PC for data storage, via the RS-232 output and SeDaCom software. Belt velocity can also be controlled by software. Parameters measured in a trial are: belt speed and slope, distance travelled, shock time, and shock intensity.

The electrical shock supplied by the grid is of constant intensity (from 0 to 2 mA), that is, the current which circulates through the animal (and therefore its effect) only depends on the value of the mA chosen and not of the subject (quantity of body mass in contact with the bars, perspiration, etc.)

The apparatus can optionally be provided with an air isolated enclosure for respiratory metabolism studies - single lane versions only.

Citations
Serradj N and Jamon M (2007) Age-related changes in the motricity of the inbred mice strains 129/sv and C57BL/6j. Behavioral Brain research 177(1): 80-89. (mouse, France)
Suelves M et al. (2007) uPA deficiency exacerbates muscular dystrophy in MDX mice. The Journal of Cell Biology 178(6):1039-51. (Mouse, Spain)
Alonso M et al. (2006) Melatonin inhibits the expression of the inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase and nuclear factor kappa B activation in rat skeletal muscle. J. Pineal Res. In Press Billat V et al. (2005) Inter- and intrastrain variation in mouse critical running speed. J. Apll. Physiol. 98: 1258-1263. (mice, France).
Majczynski H et al. (2005) Serotonin-Related Enhancement of Recovery of Hind Limb Motor Functions in Spinal Rats after Grafting of Embryonic Raphe Nuclei. J. Neurotrauma. 22(5): 590-604. (Rat, Poland)