MVT imaging setup and enclosure pattern for laser-cut acrylic sheets to produce chamber walls angling slightly outward (to allow full view of the inside corners from above). Void spots along the cage walls and corners can diffuse radially in the dry filter paper underneath the enclosures.
Micturition Video Thermography (MVT)
Our understanding of the neural circuits that control micturition and continence is constrained by a paucity of techniques for measuring ‘awake’ voiding behavior. To facilitate progress in this area, we developed a new, non-invasive assay; micturition video thermography (MVT). MVT uses a down-facing thermal camera positioned above cages set on dry filter paper. Initially voided urine (35-36°C) has warm thermal contrast relative to the cage floor (~20-22°C), and then cools as it spreads radially through the filter paper. The final “void spot” has thermal contrast that is 1-2°C cooler than the dry filter paper surrounding it. By measuring the area of cool contrast comprising this thermal void spot the voided volume can be derived. Thermal videos also reveal other behaviors, including a home-corner preference, 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.
Read more:
Verstegen et al., 2020 - Micturition Video Thermography in awake... J. Neurosci. Methods 331: 108449