Forced Running Wheels

Applications

• Forced Exercise
• Sleep Deprivation
• Stress Induction

Disease models

• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Parkinson´s
• Stress
• Stroke

Compatible with

• PhenoMaster

Forced Running Wheels are designed for controlled exercise studies and for sleep deprivation applications. We provide standard wheels with 250mm diameter for rats (80mm depth) and 115mm diameter for mice (40mm depth). For larger rats special drums with 160mm depth are available. When used in sleep deprivation studies the front lids can be equipped with an integrated holder to fix a drinking bottle and a food trough.

For testing fine motor skills and motor learning the wheel drum can be equipped with easily removable rods to change the rod pattern between sessions. If camera observation is required during the test the front of the wheel is made from clear material so that paw usage of the animal is easily visible.

All wheels are equipped with an electronically-controlled motor that guarantees reliable and consistent speed that is adjustable up to 60rpm. If only constant speed is required throughout the experiment the manually operated wheel is a cost-effective solution. Speed and rotation direction are set manually for each wheel, the current speed is shown on an integrated display on the motor control.

For maximum convenience, the wheels can be connected to a computer (USB connection). The Active Running Wheel software package allows to freely define speed profiles individually for each wheel – up to 100 steps can be combined, each step with duration, initial speed, final speed – use continuous mode with extra-slow speed, alternate active and pause phases or define acceleration or decelerating speed ramps for controlled exercise applications.

When combined with TSE PhenoMaster Indirect Calorimetry the forced running wheel can be used to examine the relationship between exercise and energy expenditure (CaloWheel).