Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40946866›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroscience methods2025

REVS: A new open-source platform for high-resolution analysis of rodent wheel running behavior.

James L Bonanno, Ciara F O'Brien, William B J Cafferty

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuroscience methods, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

James L BonannoInterdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, United States; Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, United States.
Ciara F O'BrienDepartment of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, United States.
William B J CaffertyDepartment of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, United States. Electronic address: william.cafferty@yale.edu.

Funding

Investigating the Effects of Spinal Cord Injury and Rehabilitative Training on Corticospinal Circuits Controlling Contextual Opioid Analgesic ToleranceR01NS121026 · NINDS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI William B. Cafferty · 2022 to 2026
$2.1M
Mechanisms that support Raphespinal tract plasticity and regeneration after spinal cord injuryR21NS139481 · NINDS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI William B. Cafferty · 2025 to 2026
$428k
NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS121026NINDS NIH HHS R21 NS139481
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRodent wheel running is widely used in neuroscience and preclinical research to assess locomotor function, recovery post-trauma or disease, circadian rhythms, and exercise physiology. However, most existing wheel-running systems offer limited metrics, lack flexibility in hardware, or require costly proprietary software, reducing their usefulness for detailed behavioral phenotyping-especially in models of injury or rehabilitation. NEW

methodWe developed REVS (Revolution Evaluation and Visualization Software), a low-cost, open-source hardware and software platform for analyzing and visualizing rodent wheel running behavior. REVS captures wheel revolutions using Hall effect sensors and computes 13 day-level behavioral metrics along with detailed bout-level data. Users can interactively explore high-resolution temporal features and export data in Open Data Commons (ODC)-compatible formats. REVS supports customizable wheel types, facilitating use in animals with motor and/or sensory impairments.

resultsWe validated REVS using a mouse model of partial spinal cord injury, where fine motor control is compromised. REVS detected impairments in 10 of 13 behavioral metrics post-injury, with varied recovery trajectories across measures. Principal component analysis revealed that recovery was closely linked to bout quality and intensity, rather than timing. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING

methodsUnlike commercial and open-source systems, REVS offers more detailed metrics, customizable wheel compatibility, seamless blending with common vivarium hardware, integrated data visualizations, and ODC-compatible data export. It also supports flexible analysis across individuals and groups.

conclusionsREVS provides a powerful, scalable tool for granular behavioral phenotyping in rodent studies, enhancing reproducibility and revealing insights into subtle locomotor changes associated with injury, recovery, and intervention.

Indexed as

Behavior, AnimalMotor ActivityRunningSoftwareSpinal Cord InjuriesAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLBehavioral phenotypingLocomotionOpen-source hardware/softwareRehabilitationSpinal cord injuryWheel running

Identifiers

PMID40946866
PMCPMC12757886

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.