Dynamic Plantar Aesthesiometer
The Dynamic Plantar Aesthesiometer has been designed to assess touch sensitivity of rodent plantar surfaces.
- Automatic detection of animal response (no visual score needed)
- Consistent application of force at an adjustable rate (force ramp)
- Software included as standard
- Data Portability via the Memory-Key provided with the standard package
The Dynamic Plantar Aesthesiometer has been designed to automate the assessment of touch sensitivity on the plantar surfaces of rodents and comes ready to work with rats or mice. It is known by some as the Electronic Von Frey or Plantar Von Frey instrument, but differently from Von Frey devices, Latency time, and Actual Force at the time of paw withdrawal reflex are automatically detected and recorded.
The Dynamic Plantar Anesthesiometer consists of a movable force-actuator below a network platform upon which the operator deposits the rodent. A Perspex enclosure renders the animal unrestrained for the duration of the experiment.
The operator places the actuator beneath the paw (proper placement ensured via an angled mirror) and the actuator confers a use-defined force on a Von Frey-type filament. The filament exerts an increasing force to the plantar surface, starting below the threshold of detection and increasing until the animal removes its paw. At the retraction reflex movement when the paw is withdrawn, the registers and displays the actual force at which paw withdrawal occurred.