Use when
- The study needs more than one pain-related readout.
- Mechanical and thermal endpoints need to be interpreted alongside motor or health checks.
- The goal is endpoint coverage rather than a single apparatus workflow.
Behavioral Batteries
Battery
Pain sensitivity battery
A pain sensitivity battery combines complementary endpoints so mechanical, thermal, motor, and welfare readouts are not confused.
Decision summary
Use a battery when a single endpoint is too narrow for the research question. The battery should make order effects, fatigue, and endpoint coverage visible before testing starts.
| Mechanical | Von Frey threshold or response probability. |
|---|---|
| Thermal | Hot plate, tail flick, or Hargreaves latency. |
| Motor/context | Rotarod, gait, observation, or activity checks as needed. |
| Order risk | Stress and fatigue can change later endpoints. |
Do not use when
- The animal burden or order effects would make the added method misleading.
- A single validated endpoint already answers the narrow question.
Caveats
- More endpoints do not automatically mean stronger evidence.
- Assay order can bias later measurements.
- Animal welfare and recovery time should be part of the design, not a post-hoc note.
Reporting checklist
- List battery order and rationale.
- State rest intervals and stopping criteria.
- Define every endpoint and unit.
- Report how motor and health confounds were checked.
- Explain any omitted method or endpoint.
References
Mogil 2009. Animal models of pain: progress and challenges.
Pain-model interpretation and endpoint selection context.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19835122/
Deuis, Dvorakova, and Vetter 2017. Methods used to evaluate pain behaviors in rodents.
Review of common pain behavior methods.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27776118/
Related surfaces
Use these related surfaces to move from the scientific method question to the relevant product page, endpoint definition, analysis tool, or adjacent guide.
