%0 Journal Article
%T Automated quantification of head-twitch response in mice via ear tag reporter coupled with biphasic detection.
%A de la Fuente Revenga M
%A Vohra HZ
%A González-Maeso J
%J J Neurosci Methods
%V 334
%N 0
%D Jan 2020 16
%M 31954738
%F 2.987
%R 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108595
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Head-twitch response (HTR) is a manifestation of the serotonergic system behavioral pharmacology commonly used as a proxy of psychedelic drug action in rodents.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>We developed a minimally invasive magnetic ear tag reporter and designed a detection system that performs a comprehensive characterization of each potential HTR event on an electromagnetic readout.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Magnetic ear tags were easy to install and generally well tolerated by the animals. On the low-threshold first phase of detection, the tags' signal recorded in a magnetometer was filtered and screened for potential HTR events. On the second phase, the detector performed a comprehensive spectral analysis evaluation of each event and identified the HTR characteristic distribution of power density. Our system delivered satisfactory performance in the identification of pharmacologically-induced HTR and discrimination power against common non-HTR behaviors.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Our system offers a high-throughput solution for studying HTR in mice employing minimally invasive procedures and superior standalone discriminative power compared to our previously reported fully-automated approach.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>High-throughput identification of HTR utilizing magnetic ear-tagging and biphasic detection delivers satisfactory detection and discrimination power employing less invasive procedures.