Aug 01, 2025
Adhesive Removal
Forked from Sticker Removal
- Anastasiya Moiseyenko1
- 1California Institute of Technology
Protocol Citation: Anastasiya Moiseyenko 2025. Adhesive Removal. protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.4r3l21objg1y/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: August 01, 2025
Last Modified: August 01, 2025
Protocol Integer ID: 223843
Keywords: ASAPCRN, sticker removal the sticker removal test, sticker removal test, adhesive removal task assessment, adhesive sticker, motor tasks in mice, sticker removal, mouse, mice, nose of the mouse, motor task, sensory perturbation, motor function, parkinson's disease, adhesive removal the adhesive removal test, adhesive removal test, adhesive removal, adhesive sticker, test of fine motor function, mice, sticker, test, fine motor function, animal
Funders Acknowledgements:
Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s
Grant ID: ASAP-020495
Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s
Grant ID: ASAP-000375
Heritage Medical Research Institute
Abstract
The adhesive removal test is a test of fine motor function where an animal is tested for how quickly it is able to remove a sticker from it's nose. Difficulties in these tasks are commonly attributed to either sensory perturbations or difficulty in initiating or performing movement2. PD models (Parkin-KO, DJ-1, and Thy1-aSyn) mice show an increase in the time required to remove the adhesive sticker compared to controls2.
Materials
- Tough-Spots 3/8in round tube labels
- Tweezers
- Stopwatch
- Empty rodent cage
Troubleshooting
Set up
Habituate animals to behavior testing room for 1 hour prior to start of assay.
Remove cagemates from home cage into a clean cage.
Testing
Use tweezers to pick up one sticker, allowing it to sit on a single prong with the
adhesive side freely visible.
Manually restrain/scruff a mouse and immobilize the head and forepaws.
Using the tweezers gently press the adhesive side of the sticker onto the nose bridge of the restrained mouse, gently putting down the tweezers and picking up a stopwatch.
Sticker must be not too close to tip of the nose and not too close or covering the eyes.
Avoid placing the tweezers onto a hard surface or dropping them, as the high pitch noise will disturb the mice.
Place the restrained mouse into the home cage, immediately start timer, and time how long the mouse takes to remove the sticker using its forepaws.
Stop the timer once the sticker has been removed completely from the nose. Remove the sticker (now on the forepaws) from the mouse.
Allow the mouse 30 seconds to recover in the cage.
Repeat for a total of 2 trials.
Clean tweezers and secondary cage or use a new clean cage for the following experimental cage of animals.
Protocol references
1. Sampson, T. R. et al. Gut Microbiota Regulate Motor Deficits and Neuroinflammation in a Model of Parkinson’s Disease. Cell 167, 1469-1480.e12 (2016).
2. A, Mann & MF, Chesselet. (2015). Techniques for Motor Assessment in Rodents. Movement Disorders (Second Addition). 8.4. 139-157. 10.1016/B978-0-12-405195-9.00008-1.