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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jun 15.
Published in final edited form as: J Neurosci Methods. 2013 Apr 4;216(2):79–86. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2013.03.022

Table 1.

Comparison of sleep recording systems in mice.

Tethered System Wireless System New System
Commutator Needed Not needed Not needed
Housing cages Specialized Standard Standard
Weighted pressure on the mouse Present (caused by tether) Present (caused by transponder) Minimal
Surgical invasiveness Minimal Large Minimal
Typical surgery duration Less than 30 min More than 30 min Less than 30 min
Duration of EEG/EMG recordings Unlimited Limited (batteries allow continuous use of transponder for ~2 weeks) Unlimited (transponder batteries can be changed during experiments)
EEG/EMG telemetry transponders Not used Mouse transponder (~4g) Either mouse or a heavier rat transponder can be used
Core body temperature analysis No Yes No
Motion detection No Direct Indirect

Disadvantageous features of the systems are shown in bold.