KR20160064491A - test method of sociality of target - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, disclosed is a device for testing sociality of a test subject. The device disclosed according to the present invention comprises: a behavior test box in which two or more test subjects are put, and which includes a printed circuit board having one or more LEDs mounted thereon to be able to signal to each of the test subjects and a camera for photographing a test process of the put test subjects; a control unit which includes a monitor provided with image signal photographed by the camera and displaying the image signal to a tester and a program driving unit for driving a program needed for a test process by a determined piece of software; and a stimulation unit fed in the brains of the test subjects, and applying compensation signal to the test subjects when the test subjects satisfy a behavior for a determined program or reaches a determined region. The device according to the present invention ensures free movement of test subjects to be measured, and may be applied to even a small test subject. Also, test sociality between test subjects may be tested.

Description

{Test method of sociality of target}

The present invention relates to a sociability test apparatus and an experiment method of an experiment body in which a plurality of test bodies are put into a behavior test box and each test body gives a compensation signal to the test bodies when it reaches a set behavior or a set position.

Electrical stimulation of the brain is used to treat patients' illnesses, and at the same time is applied to animals other than humans to illuminate the functions of the brain.

Electrical stimulators are wired and wireless, and commercially available wireless electrical stimulators are small enough not to be physically burdensome for large animals such as chimpanzees, but are not yet small enough to be applied to small animals such as mice.

One of the implantable electrical stimulators applied to relatively small animal mice is about 28 g (Xu et al., 2004 Journal of neuroscience methods) and can not be applied to mice given that mice weigh approximately 25 g.

Therefore, the electrode implanted in the head of a mouse is connected to a large electric stimulator using an elongated electric wire to apply electrical stimulation.

However, the problem with this approach is that the mice have to adapt to connect the wires to the electrodes, the wires will restrict the free movement of the mice, and the mice will also cut the wires. In the wired method, it is difficult to test several mice at once.

Therefore, if a small electric stimulator capable of transplanting to a small animal such as a mouse is developed, it will be possible to easily carry out research using a mouse without the above difficulties.

In addition, this device and method can be used to study superior brain function such as sociality among the subjects.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0095755 "Biomedical stimulation device

The present invention provides a sociability experiment apparatus and an experimental method of an object capable of ensuring free movement of test objects to be measured, applicable to a small test object, and capable of testing the sociability between the test objects.

A sociability testing apparatus for an experimental body according to an exemplary embodiment includes a printed circuit board on which at least two or more test bodies are inserted, at least one LED capable of sending signals to the test bodies, and a camera A behavioral test box equipped with; A monitor for receiving an image signal photographed by the camera and displaying the image signal to an experimenter, and a program driving unit for driving a program necessary for an experiment through the set software; And a stimulation unit which is put into the brain of the test bodies and which gives a compensation signal to the test body when the test bodies meet the set programmed behavior or reach the setting region.

According to one embodiment, the behavioral test box includes a structure divided into a plurality of regions.

According to one embodiment, the stimulating unit includes a light source for irradiating an optical signal; A light source control unit for controlling an optical signal emitted from the light source unit; And an electric stimulation unit converting the optical signal received from the light source unit into an electric signal to generate an electric stimulus.

According to an embodiment, the light source unit includes a plurality of infrared LEDs.

According to one embodiment, the electric-magnetic-pole unit includes a battery for supplying electric current; A phototransistor for detecting an optical signal of the light source unit and switching a current supplied by the battery; And a stimulation electrode for transmitting the current switched by the phototransistor to a living body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of testing sociability of an object, comprising: inserting electrodes for stimulation into the brain of a plurality of objects; A headset mounting step of mounting a wireless electric stimulation headset on the electrodes for stimulation of the respective test subjects; A step of injecting the test subject equipped with the headset into a behavior test box; A program driving step of driving the sociability program according to the set software; And a compensation signal transmission step of sending a compensation signal set to the test bodies according to the behavior of the test bodies.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the step of providing an optical signal in the form of a pulse wave to the test specimens.

According to an embodiment, the compensation signal is a pulse signal for electric stimulation.

According to one embodiment, the electrical stimulation pulse signal is characterized in that the stimulation time is adjusted according to an experimental protocol.

According to one embodiment, the compensation signal controls the magnitude of the electric stimulus and the frequency of the electric stimulus by controlling the magnitude and frequency of the pulse wave.

The details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and / or features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein, Are provided to fully disclose the scope of the present invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

It is to be understood that the same reference numerals refer to the same components throughout the specification and that the size, position, coupling relationship, etc. of each component constituting the invention may be exaggerated for clarity of description. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

According to the present invention, by using a wireless stimulating unit, it is possible to ensure free movement of an object to be measured, to be applied to a small object, and to test the sociability between the objects more freely.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an apparatus for testing the sociability of an object according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
2 is a schematic view showing a stimulation unit applied to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a flowchart showing a sociability experiment method of an experiment body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a sociability experiment apparatus and an experimental method of the test body according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus for testing the sociability of an object according to the present invention includes a behavior test box 100 having a printed circuit board (PCB), a control unit, and a stimulation unit.

The behavior test box 100 may have at least two or more specimens that can be actuated by being inserted therein, and the door 110 may be openably and closably coupled to the inside of the behavior test box 100 so as to close the inside thereof.

One side of the door 110 may be rotatably coupled to the behavior test box 100 by a hinge, and a knob may be provided on the other side opposite to the hinge to facilitate opening and closing.

On the ceiling of the behavior test box 100, a camera is installed so that the behavior of the test subject can be observed on a monitor described later.

In the behavior test box 100, a structure 140 to which a zone is allocated may be installed. For example, the structure 140 may have a compensation region for providing a compensation signal to the general region and the test bodies, and each region may have an entrance capable of entering and exiting the region. However, this structure is only one example for the experiment, and the structure 140 may be changed or diversified in shape according to a change in the situation.

The printed circuit board 120 is a panel having a circuit for exchanging various signals and is installed horizontally at a predetermined height inside the behavior test box 100 so as not to interfere with the behavior radius of the test objects.

For example, an illumination lamp 121, an IR LED 122, a Blue LED 123, a buzzer 124, and the like may be provided on the printed circuit board 120 to impart various signals to the test subject during the experiment.

The control unit 200 includes a screen 210, a program driving unit 220, and a signal transfer unit 230.

The screen 210 displays the image signal transmitted from the camera, thereby allowing the experimenter to accurately check the experimental procedure.

The program driving unit 220 is a medium for driving software set for the sociability test given to the test subjects, and a normal personal computer can be applied.

The signal transmission unit 240 transmits a stimulus signal set to the stimulation unit when the test subject reaches an operation set by the software set in the program drive unit or a specific area.

Meanwhile, the control unit 200 may further include a file storage unit 230. For example, in the file storage unit, all images and events performed during the experiment can be stored.

The stimulating unit 300 is mounted on each of the test specimens and includes a light source unit 310 for emitting an optical signal, a light source control unit 320 for controlling an optical signal received from the light source unit 310, And an electric stimulation unit 330 for converting an optical signal into an electric signal to generate an electric stimulus.

The light source unit 310 irradiates an optical signal as an apparatus for operating the electric stimulation unit. In this embodiment, infrared rays are irradiated. Therefore, an infrared LED is used. The light source unit 310 emits the optical signal in a pulse form. According to the input of the optical signal, the electric stimulation unit 330 applies a pulse-like voltage to the brain or nerve. The condition of the inputted optical signal pulse can be controlled through the light source control unit 320 and the current can be applied to satisfy the voltage and current conditions that can activate the nerve cells of the test subject. Therefore, the experimenter is acted upon by the constant pulse electric stimulation within the established square area.

The electric stimulating unit 330 is a device for applying a voltage and is connected to the brain or nerve of the subject through an electrode. The electric stimulating unit 330 is equipped with a micro battery 340, and the light irradiated from the light source unit 310 When the signal is received by the light source control unit 320, a current flows through the electric stimulation unit 330 while the resistance decreases. It is possible to adjust the magnitude and frequency of the current flowing through the electric stimulation unit according to the intensity and frequency of the optical signal.

By irradiating an optical signal using the light source unit 310 and converting it into an electric stimulus signal by the electric stimulus unit and applying the same to the specimens, free movement of the specimen can be ensured without using a wire.

That is, the electric stimulation unit uses a micro battery as a power source, a phototransistor as an optical switch, and an electric stimulation unit attaches to a brain or nerve of a test subject. And irradiates an optical signal for operating the electrical stimulation portion thereon. For example, high frequency electrical stimulation may be applied to the brain or nerve by irradiating infrared rays (100 Hz, 100 us), which may cause a therapeutic effect, a change in behavior, and an electrophysiological change.

The electric stimulation unit is miniaturized and lightweight, and can reduce the burden on the living body. The weight can be 0.65 to 0.7 g and the volume can be made 200 to 290 mm ³ . The operating power source is capable of operating continuously for more than 200 hours at 4uA (load: 300kΩ, 9 to 10V). Controlling this through a phototransistor through light can apply a high frequency electric stimulus to a living body and activate a neural cell in a living body to induce a therapeutic effect or a behavioral change. On the other hand, the above values are figures according to one embodiment of the present invention, which do not limit the scope of the present invention.

When electrical stimulation is given to the brain, the important thing is to be able to activate neighboring neurons. In the brain, pulsed current rather than direct current activates neurons. Important variables are intensity, duration, and frequency of pulses. The frequency of pulses is divided into low frequency stimulation (LFS) stimulating at about 10 Hz and high frequency stimulation (HFS) at about 100 Hz. However, the physiological effects of both are not clear. For Parkinson's disease, HFS of about 3 to 4 V, 60 to 450 μs, and 100 Hz is applied for symptom relief.

The minimum amount of current that can cause activation of neurons is the rheobase current, and twice this is the chronaxie current. When threshold current of neuron activation according to duration of pulse is calculated, the threshold current increases and the threshold current increases sharply as the duration decreases.

The myelinated axon of the nerve is activated at a pulse duration of 30 to 200 μs and the cell body and dendrite are activated at a pulse duration of 1 to 10 ms. In addition, when neurons undergo a short pulse at low voltage, the target neural elements are activated in a narrow region, and when a short pulse is applied at a high voltage, a wide region is activated to activate the target neuron and non- target neural elements are activated together, and a long pulse at low voltage activates many target neurons in a narrow region.

The technology of converting light into electric current is physically based on photoelectric effect. It is developed and used as semiconductor device such as photodiode, phototransistor, and solar cell. It is widely used for manufacturing solar cell, camera, etc. Has been applied. It is also possible to fabricate semiconductors that operate specially according to the wavelength of light. Among them, the phototransistor has a property of reducing the resistance when receiving light, and is used to make a switch. There is a device that reacts specifically to infrared rays (700 to 1100 ㎱) by putting a filter on the phototransistor, and it can operate as an on / off switch even in the light of about 100 lx.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers are used as light sources for emitting light to semiconductors. LEDs are operated at low voltage and low current, and optical characteristics are generally harmless to living body, It works well with pulses.

Among the commercialized infrared LEDs, the infrared phototransistor can be turned on / off at a distance of more than 40 cm at a rise time of about 2 μs and a radiant flux of 15 mW.

In the present embodiment, the compensation stimulus unit is configured to transmit the compensation signal by the electric stimulation, but it may be configured to transmit the compensation signal by the optical signal.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating the method for testing the sociability of the test body according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the sociability testing method according to the present invention includes an electrode inserting step (S10) of inserting a pole for stimulation to each brain of a plurality of test subjects, a headset mounting step S20 A step S30 of inputting an experiment object with a headset into the behavioral test box at the same time or sequentially, a step S40 of driving a program by the set software, a step of transmitting a compensation signal, Step S50.

In the electrode inserting step (S10), an operation for inserting a magnetic pole electrode into a region of interest capable of receiving a compensation signal (for example, joy) among brain regions of the test body is performed.

In the headset mounting step, a wireless electric stimulation headset is mounted so that a compensation signal can be transmitted to the electrode of the subject during the experiment. At this time, since the operation for inserting the electrode is performed, it is preferable to give the test body a sufficient recovery period (for example, about one week).

In the step of injecting the test object, the test object equipped with the headset is put into the structure 140 of the behavioral test box 100 in which the setting area is partitioned. At this time, the headset should have a position sensor that can detect the position of the test object in real time.

In the program driving step, the door 110 of the behavior test box 100 is closed and pre-programmed software is driven. At this time, the position of the test object is detected in real time through the video camera of the behavior test box 100, and various IR LEDs, Blue LED, and buzzer are controlled in real time.

For example, when an experimenter enters a specific area set by the experimenter, it turns on a blue LED used as a signal queue.

In the compensation signal transmission step, the compensation signal is transmitted to the test subject when the specific condition set by the experimenter is reached.

For example, when the blue LED is turned on, the test body is ready to give electric stimulus compensation. When the test body moves to the stimulus area, the controller 200 controls the causal relationship and transmits a signal to the electric stimulation unit. The stimulation unit transmits the electric stimulus compensation signal to the headset of the subject.

At this time, the amount of compensation of the electric stimulation can be adjusted to the stimulation time (second) according to the experimental protocol.

During this experiment, all the experimentation can be stored in the file storage.

Although the embodiments of the sociability experiment apparatus and the experiment method of the test body according to the present invention have been described above, it is apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments described, but should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

It is to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects and that the scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, It is intended that all changes and modifications derived from the equivalent concept be included within the scope of the present invention.

100; Behavioral test box 110; door
120; A printed circuit board 130; camera
140; Structure 200; The control unit
210; Monitor 220; Program driver
230; A file storage unit 240; Signal transmission section
300; A stimulation unit 310; Light source
320; A light source control unit 330; The electric-
340; battery

Claims (11)

A behavior test box equipped with at least two or more test objects, a printed circuit board having at least one or more LEDs capable of sending signals to the test subjects, and a camera for photographing an experiment process of the test objects;
A monitor for receiving an image signal photographed by the camera and displaying the image signal to an experimenter, and a program driving unit for driving a program necessary for an experiment through the set software;
A stimulus unit which is placed in the brain of the test subjects and which gives a compensation signal to the test subjects when the test subjects meet the set programmed behavior or reach the setting range;
The sociability test apparatus of the test body.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the behavioral test box includes a structure divided into a plurality of regions.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the stimulating unit comprises: a light source for emitting an optical signal;
A light source control unit for controlling an optical signal emitted from the light source unit; And
And an electric stimulation unit converting the optical signal received from the light source unit into an electric signal to generate an electric stimulus.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the light source unit includes a plurality of infrared LEDs.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the electric stimulation unit comprises: a battery for supplying current;
A phototransistor for detecting an optical signal of the light source unit and switching a current supplied by the battery; And
And a stimulation electrode for transmitting the current switched by the phototransistor to a living body.
An electrode insertion step of inserting electrodes for stimulation into the brains of a plurality of test bodies, respectively;
A headset mounting step of mounting a wireless stimulating headset on the electrode for stimulation of each of the test bodies;
A step of injecting the test subject equipped with the headset into a behavior test box;
A program driving step of driving a sociable program according to the set software;
A compensation signal transmission step of sending a compensation signal set to the test bodies according to the behavior of the test bodies;
A method for testing the sociability of the test body.
The method according to claim 6,
Further comprising the step of providing an optical signal in the form of a pulse wave to the test specimens.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the compensation signal is an optical signal.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the compensation signal is a pulse signal for electric stimulation.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the pulse signal for electric stimulation is adjusted in a stimulation time according to an experimental protocol.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the compensation signal controls the magnitude of the electric stimulus and the frequency of the electric stimulus by controlling the size and frequency of the pulse wave.

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