MLOG
Home Cage Activity Monitoring System
Measuring circadian activity
The infrared sensors of the MLog system measure the activity of an animal by recording the body heat of that animal and its spatial movement. The activity is measured in all three dimensions in the range of the sensor. Since infrared radiation cannot pass through standard cage plastics, sensors in neighbouring cages do not interfere with each other.
The system can be used with any cage size.
Circadian rhythm measured over 17 days with the MLog system
Ten times per second
Each sensor measures the activity of an animal ten times per second (10 Hz), independently of the total number of sensors in use. In competitive systems the data rate decreases with an increasing number of sensors. Although we work with a high data frequency, MLog can run over 24 hours a day 7 days a week and enables you to collect data for your research studies including for phenotyping or to simply monitor the health and welfare of your animals.
Comparing data of two animals
Individual and pooled data
You can divide the animals into groups (e.g. control and drug) and the software calculates and presents the pooled data in real time. Thus you can compare the results of the different groups even while the experiment is ongoing.
Actogram with user definable threshold and instant vizualisation
Real time data analysis and visualization
At the same time, during the experiment the data are also being analyzed and can be presented in user friendly graphs and diagrams. This feature enables you to evaluate the experiment even while it is running so you can decide if you want to continue or stop the experiment and refine the selected parameters.
Further processing of data and graphics
Collected data can be exported to other applications. Further individual data manipulations can then be conducted. All diagrams and graphics which have been generated during the experiment are saved in vector graphic format (wmf) thereby making them easy to integrate and work with in other programs.
Export filters for the data:
*.txt, *.doc, *.csv, *.xls, *.xml
Export filters for the graphs:
*.bmp, *.wmf, *.emf
Phenotyping with the MLog system
The following list shows what kind of phenotypes can be detected with the MLog system based on the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) project that provides integrated access to data on the genetics, genomics, and biology of the laboratory mouse.
Take a look at the Mammalian Phenotype Browser for more information
| Name of the test (MP term) | MP ID |
|---|---|
| advanced circadian phase [1] | 2564 |
| arrhythmic circadian persistence | 2560 |
| delayed circadian phase [2] | 2565 |
| narcolepsy [3] | 5279 |
| prolonged circadian period | 2562 |
| shortened circadian period | 2563 |
| bradykinesia [4] | 5156 |
| hyperactivity elicited by ethanol administration | 2629 |
| hypoactivity [5] | 1402 |
| lethargy [6] | 5202 |
| no spontaneous movement | 1404 |
[2] decrease in the phase relationship between a temporal synchronizing event (such as light cycle) and a phase reference point of an animal (such as activity onset
[3] recurring episodes of sleep during normal waking hours and often disrupted sleep during normal sleeping period; often accompanied by catplexy, sleep paralysis
[4] decreased spontaneity and movement
[5] reduced movement from one place to another
[6] mild impairment of consciousness resulting in reduced alertness and awareness; ultimately due to generalized brain dysfunction
Take a look at the program tour to see how the system works in detail.