Laboratory Analysis of Behavioral Effects of Drugs of Abuse in Rodents - Drugs of Abuse: Neurological Reviews and Protocols - page 461

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Laboratory Analysis of Behavioral Effects
of Drugs of Abuse in Rodents
Neil M. Richtand
1. Introduction
Because the neurological effects of drugs of abuse are ultimately refl ected
in behavioral alteration, rodent behavioral assays are often an important
component of drug abuse research. Unfortunately, although there are numerous
excellent sources of information for equipping a laboratory for cellular and
molecular analysis, far fewer resources are available to guide the researcher in
building and equipping a behavioral lab. In our experience this problem is more
diffi cult to navigate both in terms of information available from academic, as
well as commercial, resources. Here we describe information we found very
useful in designing a laboratory to measure the behavioral effects of drugs
of abuse in rodents.
2. Materials
A clear determination of available funding and space, the two major
variables determining the parameters for the planned behavioral lab, should
precede all development. Prices for individual components of equipment
vary widely, depending on source. Comparison shopping is highly recom-
mended. Residential Activity Chambers may be stacked two-high on shelving
constructed to hold the boxes in order to conserve space ( see Note 1 ).
1. Residential activity chambers: The residential activity chamber serves to limit
extraneous visual and auditory stimuli during behavioral testing. In addition, the
activity chambers may be used to house rodents throughout the course of long-
term behavioral studies, limiting the contribution of conditioning to observed
behavioral effects. Residential activity chambers are available from several