Rapid Mouse Activity Assay

The activity assay should be done always at the same period of the day.

1. Prepare clean cage: spray with 10% Bleach and dry with paper towel

2. Place mouse into the clean cage that is divided into 4 quadrants (Place cage on top of a piece of paper with 4 quadrants drawn)

3. Cover the cage with regular plastic cage lid

4. No measurements on the 1^st minute (acclimation)

5. Next 3 minutes: Score the activity

• Two or more feet into new quadrant = 1 point

• Rising up on hind paws (to explore wall or top of cage) = 2 points

Tests are done in the late morning. In our experiments with FVB/N mice the average for control mice is 80 ± 19.

When mice get sick from cardiomyopathy they score less than 10. If they score less than 10 on two consecutive days we sacrifice these mice, or "recover" them since they invariably (>95%) die in the following days if no intervention is taken.

Back to Conklin Lab home page