The Hot Plate test serves as a useful screening tool for interventions of analgesia in rodents.
- Digital temperature display mode
- Temperature range: 20 to 65 °C
- Temperature precision: 0.01 ℃
- Temperature control stdev: <± 0.2 °C
- Time display range: >10 hours
- Low, medium, and high warm-up time options
The Hot Plate test is a gold standard thermal pain test in rodents and serves as a useful screening tool for interventions of analgesia. The rodent is placed into a chamber with a heated floor with surrounding clear, cylindrical acrylic walls. Upon application of heat, key nocifensive behaviors can be measured such as paw licking and jumping. The Hot Plate apparatus is composed of a metal temperature plate with a digital display and a lidded transparent glass cylindrical restrainer.
The plantar surface is a metal floor equipped with adjustable temperature control. The glass cylinder and lid are used to limit the subject to the plate and prevent it from jumping off the apparatus while allowing an unobstructed view. Data extraction from the Hot Plate test is straightforward by using a USB drive. The latency to react to the pain associated with the heat is recorded as the time between the placement of the subject on the plate and the first sign of nocifensive response such as paw licking or jumping. Other data that can be recorded are the duration of the nocifensive response and the temperature at which nocifensive behavior is shown. Recorded data can be exported into spreadsheet software.
