Development of a shuttle box for mice whisker-based animal recognition experiment

This paper introduces a novel shuttle box system for animal cognitive behavior experiments. The system was designed to allow rats to move freely and utilize their whisker-sensing abilities. Mice are genetically similar to humans and easy to maintain, making them widely used to predict drug response in humans. While existing shuttle boxes mainly use light or sound signals, our system utilizes the cognitive capabilities of the mice’s sensitive tactile whiskers. The proposed shuttle box integrates rotators and treadmills with various roughness. The shuttle box uses laser sensors and load cells to accurately detect whisker contact. The treadmill installed under the shuttle box was used to encourage contact between the mice and the rotator, ensuring that learning and evaluation proceeded effectively. When the whiskers detect a rough surface, the system trains the mice by inducing it to move to another room. Additionally, we describe an automated method using this shuttle box, which can effectively demonstrate its performance in future drug administration experiments and serve as a research topic for researchers testing whisker-based recognition in mice.