Apr 28, 2026

24-Hour Home Cage Activity Monitoring in Mice

DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.j8nlkzj21l5r/v1
  • 1KU Leuven;
  • 2Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
Sarah van Veen
Icon indicating open access to content
QR code linking to this content
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.j8nlkzj21l5r/v1
Protocol Citation: Sarah van Veen, Zsuzsanna Callaerts-Végh 2026. 24-Hour Home Cage Activity Monitoring in Mice. protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.j8nlkzj21l5r/v1
License: This is an open access  protocol  distributed under the terms of the  Creative Commons Attribution License,  which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: Working
We use this protocol and it's working
Created: April 21, 2026
Last Modified: April 28, 2026
Protocol  Integer ID: 315425
Keywords: ASAPCRN, hour home cage activity monitoring in mice, hour home cage activity in adult mice, hour home cage activity monitoring, hour home cage activity, mice this protocol, adult mice, mice, using infrared beam, infrared beam, horizontal locomotion, break technology, beam crossing
Funders Acknowledgements:
Aligning Science Across Parkinson's
Grant ID: ASAP-000458
Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO)
Grant ID: G011424N
Abstract
This protocol describes the assessment of spontaneous 24-hour home cage activity in adult mice using infrared beam-break technology. Beam crossings are used as a continuous, non-invasive indicator of horizontal locomotion across the full light–dark cycle.
Guidelines
•       Do not disturb cages during recording to avoid artifactual activity bursts.
•       Cage changes or husbandry procedures should be completed before recording starts.
•       Confirm no beam obstructions (e.g., food pellets blocking infrared beams) before starting.
Materials
AB
SubjectsAdult WT and KO littermates (~2 months old)
Cages20 x 30 cm2 transparent cages
Monitoring systemInfrared beam frame (3-beam horizontal setup)
Data acquisitionActivity recording software (30-min bin intervals)
HousingAd libitum access to food and water
LightingAutomated 12 h light / 12 h dark cycle (lights off 19:00, on 07:00)
 
Before start
•       Acclimate mice to the procedure room for ≥30 min before housing in activity cages.
•       Ensure the infrared beam frame is calibrated and beams are unobstructed.
•       Confirm automated light timer is set: lights OFF at 19:00, lights ON at 07:00.
•       Label cages with anonymous IDs to allow blinded data collection.
Place mice individually in 20 x 30 cm2 transparent cages located between the photo beams.
Start the activity recording software around noon (12:00). Confirm beam-break counts reset every 30 min. Verify that the 30-min bin intervals are logging correctly.
Note
Recording should begin during the light phase so that one full light and one full dark phase are captured in the 24 h window.

Allow automated lighting to switch: lights OFF at 19:00 (onset of dark/active phase) and ON again at 07:00 the following morning.
After 24 h of continuous recording, stop data acquisition and export beam-break counts per 30-min bin for each animal.
Export counts per bin per animal. Group into light-phase (07:00–19:00) and dark-phase (19:00–07:00) totals. Apply appropriate statistical tests (e.g., two-way ANOVA with genotype × phase as factors).
Expected result
Mice are nocturnal; the majority of activity is expected during the dark phase. Total beam crossings in the dark phase should substantially exceed those in the light phase in healthy controls.