Rat Restraint (Head/Eye Studies)

Physical Specifications:

• 3” I.D. Body Tube: Constructed of Cast Acrylic. Overall Dimensions: 9” (L) x 3.75” (W) x 3.75” (H)
• Rear Insert (restraint): Constructed of white Delrin acetal
• Overall Dimensions: 2.88” dia. X ½” thick Contains thumb screw
• Clear acrylic base: Constructed of ½” thick cast acrylic Overall dimensions: 8.75” (W) x 8.75” (D) x 3.75” (H)
• Extra Small Neck restraint plate: Constructed of 1/8” thick Delrin acetal Overall dimensions: 3.75” (W) x 3.75” (H) x 1/8” (thick) Opening width: 0.820”
• Small Neck Restraint plate: Constructed of 1/8” thick Delrin acetal Overall dimensions: 3.75” (W) x 3.75” (H) x 1/8” (thick) Opening width: 0.860”
• Medium neck restraint plate: Constructed of 1/8” thick Delrin acetal Overall dimensions: 3.75” (W) x 3.75” (H) x 1/8” (thick) Opening width: 0.890”
• Large neck restraint plate: Constructed of 1/8” thick Delrin acetal Overall dimensions: 3.75” (W) x 3.75” (H) x 1/8” (thick) Opening width: 0.940”
• Extra Large neck restraint plate: Constructed of 1/8” thick Delrin acetal Overall dimensions: 3.75” (W) x 3.75” (H) x 1/8” (thick) Opening width: 0.970”

Operation Manual Link:

Operation Manual

Technical Information:

The RR-300 Rat restraint is ideal for the functional test of corneal sensitivity. Diabetes may cause a small fiber neuropathy, damage to small nerve fibers in skin and cornea, with symptoms of pain, abnormal sensation or loss of sensation. Typically, damaged small nerves in the cornea lose sensation and our test is designed to detect this loss in diabetic rats.

Once restrained, eye drops are applied that irritate the cornea and normally provoke blinking and squinting in a non-diabetic rat, but this response is diminished in a diabetic animal. During the test the animal’s reaction to eye drop application is recorded for several minutes. A collective series of photographic images depicting the visible surface of the eye are analyzed and compared to different experimental groups. With a decrease in sensitivity, the rat will squint less and the measured eye surface will be a larger value when compared to experimental groups that squint more.

Lab Conditions:

It is important for the purpose of this test that the animal is fully conscious, anaesthetized and that it’s head is positioned in a certain way so that the face and eyes can be observed by a set of several cameras at different angles and without any obstruction in the view. The RR-300 rat restraint fits these conditions and allows lab personnel to conduct the test the way it was designed.

This restraint can be used in many applications requiring detailed study and photography of the eyes, face or head.

References:

This method is published in:

Yorek M.S, Davidson E.P., Poolman P., Coppey LJ., Obrosov., Holmes A., Kardon RH., Yorek M.A., Corneal sensitivity to hyperosmolar eye drops: a novel behavioral assay to assess diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Invest Opthalmal Vis Sci 2016, 57(6), : 2412 – 2419. doi: 10.1167/iovs.16-19435