Comparison of simultaneous measurement of mouse locomotor activity by radiotelemetry and photobeam methods

Introduction: Locomotor activity recordings are widely used in different physiological and pharmacological studies. There are two mainly used methods - radiotelemetry and photobeam recording systems. To our knowledge, these methods have not previously been directly and simultaneously compared.

Methods: The current study consisted of a comparison of locomotor activity data gained simultaneously from radiotelemetry and photobeam recordings, firstly from a robotic device and secondly from an animal experiment performed with mice.

Results: Data gained from the animal study showed relatively high variation, but overall agreement between the methods was good.

Discussion: The two methods were cross-validated in the current study. The data gained from both methods were in good general agreement. However, in an animal experiment, e.g. when sedative drugs or other behavior-modifying interventions are used, one should interpret the results with caution as alterations in animal behavior (e.g. in grooming) may possibly not be picked up similarly by the two methods.