What are the Ugo Basile Running Wheels?

The Ugo Basile Running Wheels (catalog numbers 1800/1850) provide a low-stress, non-invasive method for measuring spontaneous voluntary motor activity in rodents over extended time periods — from single nights to weeks of continuous recording. Because running wheel activity is self-initiated rather than forced, it provides a naturalistic measure of an animal’s intrinsic motivation to exercise, making it ideal for circadian rhythm research, pain-related activity, aging studies, and energy balance investigations.

Available in mouse (1850) and rat (1800) versions, the wheels feature stainless steel construction with a Teflon bushing for ultra-low friction running. Optional PC connectivity via the Multifunction Interface supports up to 12 simultaneous wheels, with data transferred directly to ANY-maze for chronobiological analysis.

Key Features

• Voluntary Activity Measurement: Running wheel activity is self-motivated, providing a naturalistic measure of locomotor drive unaffected by experimenter intervention or forced exercise stress.
• Mouse and Rat Models: Dedicated size-appropriate wheels for both species — 23 cm internal diameter for mice (1850) and 33 cm for rats (1800) — ensure comfortable, natural running biomechanics.
• Stainless Steel & Teflon Construction: The stainless steel running surface with Teflon bushing provides low friction, long-term durability, and easy sterilisation between animals.
• LCD Counter (Standard): Each wheel includes an integrated LCD revolution counter for standalone use without a PC.
• PC Connectivity (up to 12 wheels): The optional Multifunction Interface connects up to 12 wheels to a single PC, enabling high-throughput circadian and longitudinal activity recording.
• ANY-maze Compatible: Direct data export to ANY-maze supports detailed chronobiological analysis including actograms, activity bouts, and period estimation.
• Clear Polycarbonate Housing: The transparent cage allows direct visual observation and video recording of the animal at all times.

Research Applications

Running wheels are uniquely suited to studies requiring long-term, voluntary, minimally-stressful activity recording. Because the animal chooses when and how much to run, wheel running data reflect intrinsic motivation and physiological capacity rather than forced compliance — making it especially informative in pain, aging, and disease models where motivation itself is the variable of interest.

• Circadian Rhythm Research: Wheel running is the gold-standard non-invasive assay for circadian period, phase, and amplitude in rodents. Light-dark entrainment, free-running period, and jet-lag recovery are all readily characterised from wheel revolution actograms.
• Pain & Analgesia: Pain-related reductions in voluntary running are used as a sensitive, non-reflex measure of ongoing pain. Recovery of wheel activity after injury or drug treatment provides a functional analgesia endpoint.
• Aging & Sarcopenia: Age-associated declines in spontaneous running distance and bout duration are well-characterised, making wheel running a sensitive longitudinal marker of physical fitness and musculoskeletal integrity.
• Neurological Disease Models: Hypoactivity in Parkinson’s, ALS, and ataxia models is captured as reduced wheel running well before overt motor impairment is apparent on the RotaRod.
• Energy Balance & Obesity: Voluntary running distance correlates with energy expenditure, making wheels an important tool in metabolic studies of obesity, diabetes, and diet interventions.
• Neuroplasticity & Cognitive Enhancement: Voluntary wheel running induces hippocampal neurogenesis and enhances cognitive performance, making it a popular intervention in learning and memory studies.