Randall-Selitto Test
Objective: Measurement of static mechanical hyperalgesia through application of pressure to skin or tissue to assess pain-like responses in rodents
This is a Randall-Selitto Test protocol using mice and rats as the model organism. The procedure involves 4 procedural steps, 2 equipment items. Extracted from a 2017 paper published in Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.
Model and subjects
mice and rats
Study window
Estimated timing pending
Core workflow
Animal restraint • Position test site • Apply increasing pressure
Primary readouts
- Pressure threshold at which withdrawal response occurs
- Pressure threshold at which vocalization occurs
- Presence or absence of withdrawal behavior
- Presence or absence of vocalization
Key equipment and reagents
Use this page as an execution guide, then fall back to the source paper whenever you need exact exclusions, dosing details, or assay-specific caveats.
Confirm first
- Verify the animal model, intervention setup, and collection timepoints against the source paper.
- Check that every direct vendor link matches the exact specification your lab plans to run.
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- Work through the protocol steps in order and use the inline vendor chips only when you need to source or verify an item.
- Jump to Experimental Context for readouts, data shape, and analysis flow before planning downstream analysis.
Protocol Steps
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Animal restraint
Restrain the rodent (mouse or rat) in preparation for testing
Note: Restraint is necessary to position the animal for pressure application
View evidence from paper
“The rodent is restrained and the hind paw (or tail) is placed between a pointed probe tip and flat surface.”
Position test site
Place the hind paw or tail between the pointed probe tip and flat surface of the Randall-Selitto device
Note: Either hind paw or tail can be used as the test site
View evidence from paper
“The rodent is restrained and the hind paw (or tail) is placed between a pointed probe tip and flat surface.”
Apply increasing pressure
Gradually increase the pressure applied by the device to the hind paw or tail
Note: Pressure is increased in a controlled manner until endpoint is reached
View evidence from paper
“The pressure is increased until withdrawal or vocalization occurs.”
Record endpoint
Record the pressure level at which the rodent exhibits withdrawal response or vocalization
Note: Endpoint is defined as either paw withdrawal or vocalization, whichever occurs first
View evidence from paper
“The pressure is increased until withdrawal or vocalization occurs.”