The Rat Helplessness Chamber Model 80010 allows researchers to test for the effects of avoidable and "helpless" stress on a number of behavioral and physiological measurements.  The helplessness chamber comes with a revolution count selector switch to easily adjust task difficulty. The rat is placed in the chamber which has a 12-rung wheel located in the front of the rat. The rat's tail is immobilized so that tail-shocks can be administered.

Escapable

The helplessness chamber wheel turn output is read by the computer through appropriate interfacing. ABET or other suitable scheduling software is used to program the desired behavioral escape response. The animal must learn to turn the wheel to the pre-programmed number of revolutions to turn off the shock generator.  A maximum trial length can of course be programmed as well.  (Shockers, ABET Interface and Software sold separately)

Inescapable

With two helplessness chambers, the "escapable" rat is a control that can escape the shock, but a second rat becomes a yoked "helpless" animal that can not.  The responses from both animals are recorded, but only one animal controls the outcome of the response.  Both rats have electrodes on their tails and both receive the same amount of shock. 

Non Shock Control

A non shock control may also be added if desired.  In the three chamber set up, the rat in the control chamber is handled the same as the other animals and may even have electrodes attached, but will not receive the tail-shock.