Look to Campden Instruments and Lafayette Instrument Company for a "Science above Hardware" approach not found from any other supplier. The fully validated chambers described below are supported by ready to run ABET II Touch Paradigms including images, and a Whisker ® Server-based Controller for up to four test chambers. Plus, we provide the ability for the user to write their own scheduling, with web-based training. ABET II Touch software gives you ease of use, programming power, data analysis, versatility, and flexibility.

• Not just a touch screen, everything about the Bussey-Saksida chamber is different
• Not just another square sheet metal box, the Bussey-Saksida chamber has a unique trapezoidal wall shape to focus the animal's attention and is made from machined parts that simply slot together. The chamber can also be configured to a modular square chamber with panels, levers, lights, and a range of other operator
• This equipment can run both autoshaping and a variety of operant tasks in the same chamber, with chamber configuration from autoshaping to one of the other proven paradigms in seconds Not just a touch screen, this is the ultimate modular chamber for high throughput. For example, do Visual Discrimination and Reversal in the morning and Five Choice Serial Reaction Time Task in the afternoon
• To enable such a high throughput, the chamber can be taken apart and reassembled in seconds for easy cleaning
• Get up and running quickly, with the Easy-Install Kit and buy proven tasks pre-programmed in ABET II Touch or get programming yourself quickly and easily with web-enabled online help from Campden Instruments and Lafayette Instrument Company
• Translational research: test rodents on tasks virtually identical to tasks used to test human populations
• The Bussey-Saksida Chambers and WhiskerServer ® originate from the department of Prof. Trevor Robbins, Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, England

The Touch Screen Paradigms:

• Visual Discrimination and Reversal (VDR)
• Paired Associate Learning (PAL)
• Location Discrimination Learning (LD)
• Visuospatial Conditional Learning (VCL)
• 5-choice Serial Reaction Time Task (5-CSRT)
• Trial-Unique Nonmatching-to-Location (TUNL) [rat only at this time]
• Autoshaping
• Extinction

Visual Discrimination and Reversal Task (VDR)

Age-related impairments in the R6/2 Huntington's disease mouse model

Paired Associate Learning Task (PAL)

Intra-hippocampal infusions of MK-801 impair performance of the PAL task

Location Discrimination Learning Task (LD)

McTighe, Mar, Romberg, Bussey & Saksida (2009) NeuroReport

Neurogenesis knock-down impairs pattern separation in the Location Discrimination Task

Clelland, Choi, Romberg, Clemenson, Fragniere, Tyers, Jessberger,  Saksida, Barker, Gage & Bussey (2009) Science

Dorsal hippocampal lesions impair pattern separation in the Location Discrimination Task

McTighe, Mar, Romberg, Bussey & Saksida (2009) NeuroReport

Autoshaping

Impairments in Autoshaping (Pavlovian approach) following posttraining injections of the dopamine D1 antagonist SCH23390 or the NMDA antagonist AP-5.

• Add to the chamber, many options for different shaped walls and configurations, different floors, pellet or liquid reward, ambulatory I/R beams, I/R observation systems, and sound attenuation cubicles
• ABET II Touch software resides on the WhiskerServer Controller. One Controller can control up to 4 chambers
• Paradigms from Bussey’s lab [Cognitive Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Cambridge, England] are available as pre-programmed ABET II Touch schedules
• Touch screen units are modified and optimized for use with rodents; all technology is research-validated and scientifically proven in Bussey's Lab
• Easy-Installation Kit keeps the wiring neat and tidy to get you up and running quickly and impress your regulatory inspector
• Beginner packages includes the starter chamber, trapezoidal walls, perforated floor, reward trough, touch screen and sound attenuating cubicle with slide out tray