Micturition video thermography in awake, behaving mice

Anne M Verstegen; Margaret M Tish; Luca P Szczepanik; Mark L Zeidel; Joel C Geerling

doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108449

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Micturition video thermography in awake, behaving mice

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Micturition video thermography in awake, behaving mice

Anne M Verstegen, Margaret M Tish, Luca P Szczepanik, Mark L Zeidel and Joel C Geerling

Journal of neuroscience methods, Vol.331, pp.108449-108449

02/01/2020

DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108449

PMCID: PMC6942227

PMID: 31812917

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Abstract

•Thermal imaging offers a non-invasive assay for micturition (urination) behavior•Micturition video thermography identifies void timing, volume, and location•Mice void infrequently, in corners, and with a stereotyped sequence of behaviors•MVT can be combined with common neuroscience techniques Our understanding of the neural circuits controlling micturition and continence is constrained by a paucity of techniques for measuring voiding in awake, behaving mice. To facilitate progress in this area, we developed a new, non-invasive assay, micturition video thermography (MVT), using a down-facing thermal camera above mice on a filter paper floor. Most C57B6/J mice void infrequently, with a stereotyped behavioral sequence, and usually in a corner. The timing of each void is indicated by the warm thermal contrast of freshly voided urine. Over the following 10–15 min, urine cools to ∼3 °C below the ambient temperature and spreads radially in the filter paper. By measuring the area of cool contrast comprising this “thermal void spot,” we can derive the initially voided volume. Thermal videos also reveal mouse behaviors including a home-corner preference apart from void spots, and a stereotyped, seconds-long pause while voiding. MVT is a robust, non-invasive method for measuring the timing, volume, and location of voiding. It improves on an existing technique, the void spot assay, by adding timing information, and unlike the cystometrogram preparation, MVT does not require surgical catheterization. Combining MVT with current neuroscience techniques will improve our understanding of the neural circuits that control continence, which is important for addressing the growing number of patients with urinary incontinence as the population ages.

Continence

Void spot

Cystourethography

Bladder

Urodynamic

Cystourethrogram

Micturition

Detrusor

Voiding

Thermographic

Cystometrogram

Urination

Void

Details

Title: Subtitle: Micturition video thermography in awake, behaving mice
Creators: Anne M Verstegen - Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
Margaret M Tish - Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA
Luca P Szczepanik - Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
Mark L Zeidel - Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
Joel C Geerling - Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of neuroscience methods, Vol.331, pp.108449-108449
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108449
PMID: 31812917
PMCID: PMC6942227
NLM abbreviation: J Neurosci Methods
ISSN: 0165-0270
eISSN: 1872-678X
Publisher: Elsevier B.V
Language: English
Date published: 02/01/2020
Academic Unit: Neurology; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984070632802771

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