Lickometer (Vogel Test)

The Ugo Basile Lickometer (Cat. 45100/40150) serves a dual purpose: as a precise lick counter for consummatory behavior studies and as a drinking-conflict (Vogel) test apparatus for anxiety research. The system pairs licking episodes with controllable electric shocks to assess the anxiolytic properties of test compounds — a validated and widely cited preclinical anxiety model.

A single controller manages up to 5 independent cages, and the user-friendly software supports both time-based and lick-count-based phase transitions. Both rat and mouse cage versions are available.

Key Features

• Dual use: basic lickometer and Vogel conflict test
• Controls up to 5 cages via single controller
• 2-pole sine-wave shocker with adjustable intensity
• Flexible protocol: time-based or lick-count-based transitions
• Rat cage: 35 × 25 × 30 cm; Mouse cage: 20 × 24 × 20 cm
• Power: 115–230 VAC, 50/60 Hz

Research Applications

The Lickometer / Vogel Test is a classic and clinically validated model for anxiety research. The conflict between thirst-driven licking and shock-induced suppression provides a sensitive, pharmacologically selective readout for anxiolytic drug activity, making it a key assay in CNS drug development pipelines.

• Anxiolytic screening: Detecting the effects of benzodiazepines, 5-HT1A agonists, and novel anxiolytics
• Consummatory behavior: Quantifying lick rates and drinking patterns under baseline and stressed conditions
• Conflict paradigms: Studying approach-avoidance conflict in anxiety-related decision-making
• Alcohol research: Assessing ethanol preference and consumption using lickometer protocols
• Neuropharmacology: Evaluating GABAergic and serotonergic drug effects on anxiety-like behavior