Source Paper
Atrophin-1 antisense oligonucleotide provides robust protection from pathology in a fully humanized DRPLA model
Smith VL, Gidi BZ, Bragg RM, Cantle JP, Ben-Varon A et al.
Mol Ther Nucleic Acids • 2025
Circadian Activity Monitoring
Objective: Analysis of circadian patterns of home cage behavior to track movement and activity across light-dark cycles
Gather these items before starting the experiment. Check off items as you prepare.
Equipment3
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Protocol Steps
Subject preparation and cage setup
Place 8-week-old male Atn1 Q112/+ mice in 30 × 30 cm Plexiglas cages with corncob bedding and plastic hidden shelter with two entry/exit points
View evidence from paper
“A subset of male Atn1 Q112/+ mice (n = 4) aged eight weeks”
Continuous recording setup
Begin simultaneous recording of all cages for 67 hours using overhead cameras, starting at 12 p.m. on day 1 and ending at 7 a.m.
View evidence from paper
“All cages were recorded simultaneously for 67 h, beginning at 12 p.m. on day 1”
Movement tracking
Use EthoVision XT software to track mouse movement throughout the entire monitoring period
View evidence from paper
“EthoVision XT software was used to track the movement of the mice for the duration”
Zone analysis
Divide cage recording into zones (arena center 293 cm², arena perimeter 347 cm², hidden shelter 106 cm²) and determine duration in each zone
View evidence from paper
“dividing the cage recording into various zones (arena center, arena perimeter, hidden shelter) and the duration within each zone”
Data binning and analysis
Bin behavioral activity measurements into 1-hour sessions and compare average activity between light periods (Light-1, -2, -3) and dark periods (Dark-1, -2, -3)
View evidence from paper
“Behavioral activity measurements were binned into 1-h sessions and activity tracked across all zones”