Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Aug 11.
Published in final edited form as: J Vis Exp. 2021 Aug 11;(174):10.3791/62839. doi: 10.3791/62839

Figure 1: The light/dark assay timeline and apparatus.

Figure 1:

(A) Timeline of the testing paradigm: After two pre-exposures to the light/dark chamber (Pre 1 and Pre 2), mice are administered CGRP (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) followed by a post-treatment measurement (Post). At least one day after the light/dark assay, mice are given CGRP (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) again and are run in the open field assay. Pre: pretreatment; Tx: treatment; Post: post-treatment (B) The LED panel is held at the top of the chamber by an acrylic shelf and illuminates the test area. The height of the light panel can be adjusted by using slots at different heights. (C) The light/dark chamber contains a dark insert with a small opening. A LED light panel is above the chamber. (D) Front, side, and top views of the modified dark insert. The opening in the dark insert is extended with a small slit for the movement of the patch cord (top left). The top of the dark insert extends over the light area as a triangular porch with a holder for the rotatory joint (top right and bottom left). The optic-fiber patch cord is connected to the fiber-optic cannula via a mating sleeve (bottom right). (E) The modified open field assay. The stand and clamp hold the rotatory joint. The chamber is pulled out to the front of the cubicle with the doors left open to allow the free movement of the mouse with the patch cord attached to the mouse head.