Vapor delivery system and related methods thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016287366-A1
Application number	US-201615091531-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 5, 2016
Priority date	Apr 6, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and related methods thereof involving self-administration of an agent to an animal. In certain embodiments, the system comprises an enclosure for the confinement of an animal; a sensor that produces a signal when purposefully activated by the animal in said enclosure, wherein the purposefully activation defines a first behavior of the animal that is located at a first behavior location; and an agent dispenser that is configured to provide the agent in the enclosure in response to the sensor being purposefully activated, wherein the agent is provided remotely from the first behavior location so as to require the animal to travel to the remotely provided agent at a remote provision location, wherein the traveling defines a second behavior of the animal. The system and related methods thereof can be used to provide a model system to evaluate the behavioral and/or physiological response(s) to a self-administered agent.

First claim

I claim:

1 . A system for self-administration of an agent to an animal, said system comprising:
an enclosure for the confinement of an animal; a sensor that produces a signal when purposefully activated by the animal in said enclosure, wherein said purposefully activation defines a first behavior of the animal that is located at a first behavior location; and an agent dispenser that is configured to provide the agent in said enclosure in response to said sensor being purposefully activated, wherein the agent is provided remotely from said first behavior location so as to require said animal to travel to the remotely provided agent at a remote provision location, wherein said traveling defines a second behavior of the animal.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said agent dispenser is in material communication with an agent supply.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein said agent supply further comprising:
an agent chamber for containing the agent; a heating source that gives heat to said agent chamber; and a pressurization source for pressuring the agent in the agent chamber.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein said agent supply further comprising:
a conduit that materially couples said agent chamber and said agent dispenser; wherein a valve is interposed between said agent chamber and said agent dispenser within said conduit and is operable to control the providing of the agent in said enclosure based on the signal from the sensor.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is at least one of the following: pressure sensor, optical sensor, force sensor, or acoustic sensor.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a nosepoke hole sensor.

7 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one pseudo sensor that is of the same activation type as the sensor and does not provide the agent to said enclosure.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said agent dispenser is configured to provide at least one of the following into the enclosure: solid, liquid, gas, vapor, or aerosol.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said agent dispenser is configured to provide the agent wherein the agent is at least one of the following: cigarette smoke, electronic cigarette smoke, cannabis smoke, crack cocaine smoke, nicotine, flavoring, or methanol.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said agent dispenser is configured to provide the agent wherein the agent is at least one of the following: nicotine, flavoring, or methanol.

11 . A method for self-administering an agent to an animal, said method comprising:
providing said animal in an enclosure; allowing said animal to purposefully activate a sensor from said enclosure, wherein said purposeful activation defines a first behavior of the animal that is located at a first behavior location; sending a signal from said sensor when purposefully activated by the animal; and providing said agent in said enclosure in response to said signal, wherein the agent is provided remotely from said first behavior location so as to require said animal to travel to the remotely provided agent at a remote provision location, wherein said traveling defines a second behavior of the animal.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the agent is at least one of the following:
cigarette smoke, electronic cigarette smoke, cannabis smoke, crack cocaine smoke, nicotine, flavoring, or methanol.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the agent is at least one of the following: nicotine, flavoring, or methanol.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said method further comprising:
heating the agent; and pressurizing the agent.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
controlling the agent being provided into said enclosure based on the signal from the sensor.

16 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
controlling the agent being provided into said enclosure based on the signal from the sensor.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the agent is nicotine and 1.5-2 ug of nicotine is provided to the enclosure when the sensor is purposefully activated.

18 . A method of evaluating an agent in an animal, said method comprising:
placing the animal in an agent evaluating system comprising a system for self-administration of an agent to an animal of claim 1 ; allowing the animal to acquire an agent-operant behavior by utilizing said system for self-administration of an agent to an animal of claim 1 ; and appraising the animal of physical and/or mental effects of the acquisition of said agent operant behavior.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said agent is at least one of the following: cigarette smoke, electronic cigarette smoke, cannabis smoke, crack cocaine smoke, nicotine, flavoring, or methanol.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said step of appraising the animal is at least one of the following: fixed ratio testing, progressive ratio test, agent conditioned place preference test, withdrawal behavior test, elevated plus maze test, somatic withdrawal test, hyperalgesia test, agent receptor ligand binding in brain tissue test, proteomic test of changes in agent receptor, or proteomic test of key protein expression in a brain of an chronic treated animal.

21 . A method of evaluating an agent in an animal, said method comprising:
placing the animal in an agent evaluating system comprising a system for self-administration of claim 1 ; allowing the animal to operantly condition itself between a purposeful activation action and a providing of said agent to said system for self-administration of claim 1 ; and appraising at least one effect of the animal due to the agent.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein said agent is at least one of the following: cigarette smoke, electronic cigarette smoke, cannabis smoke, crack cocaine smoke, nicotine, flavoring, or methanol.

23 . The method of claim 21 , wherein said step of appraising the animal is at least one of the following: of fixed ratio testing, progressive ratio test, agent conditioned place preference test, withdrawal behavior test, elevated plus maze test, somatic withdrawal test, hyperalgesia test, agent receptor ligand binding in brain tissue test, proteomic test of changes in agent receptor, or proteomic test of key protein expression in a brain of an chronic treated animal.

24 . A method of evaluating an agent in an animal, said method comprising:
placing the animal in an agent evaluating system comprising a system for self-administration of claim 1 ; allowing the animal to become reliant upon the agent by the animal self-administering said agent to itself by utilizing said system for self-administration of claim 1 ; and appraising at least one effect of the animal due to said animal used to be or is reliant on said agent.

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein said agent is at least one of the following: cigarette smoke, electronic cigarette smoke, cannabis smoke, crack cocaine smoke, nicotine, flavoring, or methanol.

26 . The method of claim 24 , wherein said step of appraising the animal is at least one of the following: fixed ratio testing, progressive ratio test, agent conditioned place preference test, withdrawal behavior test, elevated plus maze test, somatic withdrawal test, hyperalgesia test, agent receptor ligand binding in brain tissue test, proteomic test of changes in agent receptor, or proteomic test of key protein e

Assignees

• Univ Virginia Patent Foundation

Inventors

• Scott Michael M

Classifications

• A01K29/005

  Monitoring or measuring activity · CPC title

• A01K1/031

  Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals · CPC title

• A61D7/04 Primary

  Devices for anaesthetising animals by gases or vapours; Inhaling devices · CPC title