Von Frey Test
Objective: Assessment of punctate mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia using monofilaments of varying forces to measure withdrawal responses to touch stimuli
This is a Von Frey Test protocol using mice and rats as the model organism. The procedure involves 4 procedural steps, 3 equipment items, 4 materials. Extracted from a 2017 paper published in Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.
Model and subjects
mice and rats • Not specified • unknown • Not specified • Not specified
Study window
Estimated timing pending
Core workflow
Animal Placement • Monofilament Application • Response Assessment
Primary readouts
- Presence or absence of paw withdrawal response
- Presence or absence of paw licking
- Presence or absence of paw shaking
- Mechanical force threshold required to elicit withdrawal response
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.
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Protocol Steps
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Animal Placement
Place rodents individually in small cages with mesh or barred floor to allow access to hind paw
Note: Cages must have penetrable bottom for monofilament application
View evidence from paper
“Rodents are placed individually in small cages with a mesh or otherwise penetrable bottom”
Monofilament Application
Apply monofilament perpendicularly to the plantar surface of the hind paw until it buckles, delivering constant pre-determined force
Note: Force range: 0.2–13.7 mN for mice; 5.9–98 mN for rats. Alternative testing areas include dorsal surface of hind paw or abdomen
View evidence from paper
“A monofilament is applied perpendicularly to the plantar surface of the hind paw until it buckles, delivering a constant pre-determined force (typically 0.2–13.7 mN for mice and 5.9–98 mN for rats) for 2–5 s”
Response Assessment
Observe and record nocifensive behaviors including brisk paw withdrawal, licking, or shaking of the paw during or immediately after filament removal
Note: A positive response is defined as any nocifensive behavior exhibited during application or immediately after removal
View evidence from paper
“A response is considered positive if the animal exhibits any nocifensive behaviors, including brisk paw withdrawal, licking, or shaking of the paw, either during application of the stimulus or immediately after the filament is removed”
Up-Down Method (if using this approach)
Begin testing with a filament estimated to be close to the 50% withdrawal threshold. If no response, test next filament with higher force. Continue until mechanical force required to elicit paw withdrawal response in 50% of animals is determined
Note: This method is based on statistical formula used to determine LD50s. Alternative methods include ascending stimulus or percent response methods
View evidence from paper
“The 'up-down' Von Frey method is used to determine the mechanical force required to elicit a paw withdrawal response in 50% of animals, based on the statistical formula used to determine LD 50 s. The experiment begins by testing the response to a filament estimated to be close to the 50% withdrawal threshold. If there is no response, the next filament with a higher force is tes”